Why Scammers Prefer Posing as Leos: A Deep Dive into Female Psychology Exploitation

The “Pig-Butchering” Scam Targeting Women

23-year-old Xiaomei (pseudonym) from Jiande recently reported being scammed out of 100,000 yuan by her “tall, handsome, and wealthy” boyfriend. Police immediately recognized this as a classic “pig-butchering” romance scam.

In these schemes, scammers cultivate trust with victims (“fattening the pig”) before disappearing with their money (“butchering”). When police raided the scammers’ hideout, they found unkempt men in dirty clothes – far from the “high-status” personas they projected online.

The Leo Persona: Why It Works

Among 12 confiscated notebooks detailing scam tactics, one pattern stood out: many scammers posed as Leos. Their research showed that presenting as a Leo – described as passionate, confident, and bold – helped create an attractive “alpha male” image.

The notebooks revealed specific techniques:

• Using Leo’s natural leadership traits (“Don’t tell me what you think – I’ll tell you what’s right”) to project authority
• Adapting zodiac signs based on victims’ profiles for perceived compatibility
• Leveraging astrological stereotypes to build quick intimacy (“Wow, our signs are so compatible!”)

Four Psychological Triggers They Exploit

1. The Ideal Partner Fantasy: Using stolen photos of attractive men with luxury items to embody women’s “perfect match” – often claiming to be successful entrepreneurs.

2. The Leo Charisma: Adopting Leo’s stereotypical confidence and decisiveness to appear more desirable than other signs like Virgo or Libra.

3. Emotional Availability: Creating a 24/7 attentive boyfriend persona who remembers anniversaries and offers constant reassurance.

4. Shared Future Projection: Discussing marriage, travel, and family to create emotional investment before introducing financial scams.

How the Scam Unfolds

After establishing trust (usually 2-4 weeks), scammers introduce fake investment opportunities. Victims like Xiaomei would see small “returns” before being persuaded to invest larger sums – at which point both the money and “boyfriend” vanish.

Police discovered this particular group had strict rules: never scam a victim for more than 100,000 yuan to avoid drawing attention. The case remains under investigation across multiple provinces.