Inside INTERPOL’s probe into cyber-enabled human trafficking

LYON, France - An innovative new operation to tackle the emerging trend of human trafficking facilitated by technology, including social media, apps and other digital platforms, has been launched by INTERPOL and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The initiative is a response to a worrying pattern of victims being trafficked from Latin America, lured by fake or deceptive job offers. They are then taken to another country, increasingly in Europe, where they are subject to exploitation, mainly through prostitution.

This first-of-its-kind operation took place from 19 to 22 November 2024, during which the participating officers were supported by INTERPOL's capabilities in human trafficking, facial recognition, cybercrime and criminal analysis.

Throughout the action days, participating countries worked side by side poring over information from websites and messaging apps. Significant results included the identification of:

• 68 potential victims
• 146 potential exploiters, recruiters and facilitators
• 365 usernames and 162 URLs linked to suspicious activity.

Cyril Gout, INTERPOL's Acting Executive Director of Police Services, said:

"Technology is, now more than ever, facilitating all forms of organized crime - human trafficking is no exception. This innovative operational week at INTERPOL's headquarters successfully brought together officers at both ends of this troubling trafficking flow between Latin America and Europe. Their hard work led to the detection of hundreds of incidents and data elements that will be the basis for further investigation."

In one case, the Netherlands and Venezuela were able to collect facial images of women advertised as Venezuelan escorts on European websites and run them through INTERPOL databases. A match was made to a Blue Notice - a notice which seeks to collect information about a person's identity or location because of a suspected connection to, or knowledge of, a criminal investigation.

The operation also detected an influx of Brazilian women on adult service websites advertised in Ireland, with one individual suspected to be behind the numerous accounts. Police from Ireland and Brazil worked together to identify a suspected recruiter with links to an organized crime group. A similar pattern was observed by the United Kingdom, which identified a domestic services website closely connected to a page offering sexually explicit content.

Officers from Spain and Colombia teamed up to investigate the recruitment of Colombian women to work as escorts in Spain, only to be forced into prostitution. To be released from their debt, victims were being asked to pay EUR 12,000.

Meanwhile, police from the Netherlands focused on examining active Telegram groups featuring offers for sex workers which showed signs of exploitation. They were able to extract a range of images, usernames and even telephone numbers, which were shared with all participating officers, prompting multiple further probes.

In another example, officers from Germany detected a potentially underage victim being advertised in Switzerland. The case was communicated to Swiss authorities via INTERPOL's secure messaging system for further investigation, helping to verify the victim's age and locate potential traffickers.

This inaugural event provided valuable intelligence that will be used to initiate many more new investigations and support ongoing cases. It was also an opportunity for countries to share experiences, exchange knowledge and acquire new detection strategies, ultimately enabling them to better navigate this complex criminal landscape.

The operation, led by INTERPOL, was supported by Europol, META, STOP THE TRAFFIK, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and financed by Global Affairs Canada and the OSCE.

Participating countries:

Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Germany, Ireland, Netherlands, Spain, United Kingdom, Venezuela