What's the deal with all those weird wrong-number texts?

Digging into the world of "pig-butchering" scams

A few months ago I received the following WhatsApp message from a number I didn’t recognize:

Even though it was clear this message was the lead-in to a swindle of some kind, I had to pause and admire the craft that went into its composition. Like everyone else, I get scam text come-ons pretty frequently, and they’re always poorly pitched and low-energy. …