Ashwini Rao

Pig Butchering Mobile App Scams

You have probably heard of the “pig butchering” scam, but have you ever seen a live example? If you are curious, check out SEQUOIAMAX, a mobile app currently available for download in the Apple App Store.

To recall, a pig butchering scam is a type of financial scam where the victim is gradually “fattened up” (like a pig) with promises of high returns on investments, only for the scammer to “slaughter” the victim by taking all their money in the end.

This app, live as of April 28, 2025, impersonates Sequoia Capital, a well-known American venture capital firm.

Scammers typically reach out to victims through Facebook and WhatsApp groups, posing as employees or investors from reputable companies like Sequoia. They lure victims by promising high returns on investments and make the scheme seem credible. Because Sequoia is a well-known brand, victims are more likely to believe they are making a legitimate investment.

While impersonating a major brand is common in pig butchering scams, it’s not always necessary—the core tactic is exploiting the victim’s trust, which can even happen through in-person or online meetings between the scammer and the victim.

Similar Sequoia-related pig butchering scams have previously appeared on the Google Play Store and were eventually removed. However, scammers have adapted their tactics to evade detection. Below is an example of a more evolved pig butchering scam found on the Play Store: although the app’s color scheme and “S” logo still resemble Sequoia’s branding, the impersonation is more subtle than in earlier scams.

We identified this app as a scam by analyzing the app’s meta data. Specifically, the support website listed in the Play Store app listing was https://app.sequoiasesx[.]cc /#/pages/login/login. Note that sequoiasesx[.]cc is impersonating Sequoia Capital’s actual website sequoiacap.com.

The image below shows the screenshot of the of the sequoiasesx[.]cc website. As you can see, scammers have set up an investment website impersonating Sequoia Capital.The image shows the login page for the investment portal.

After we reported the scam app to Play, the app was taken down. The fraudulent Sequoia impersonation website has also been taken down.

As more scams are taken down, scammers are refining their methods—making their impersonation less obvious and harder to detect through surface elements like logos and splash screens. To counter this, we’ve been investigating the apps’ internal behavior—what users experience after installing the app.

In part two of this article, we will discuss a new evolution of the pig butchering scam app: one where the app appears completely benign in the store listing and even during runtime, only revealing malicious behavior under certain conditions.

About Eydle

The Eydle Scam Protection platform helps enterprises proactively identify and take down scams that target customers and employees. To learn more, visit our website. For questions regarding the blog post, email [email protected].