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What you can do to 150,000 sites today are suspected of promoting or

displaying acts of illegal sexual exploitation.
stop human traffickers This data is based on machine learning algorithms that

assess different properties of websites to determine their
in the digital age content classification. The UN report also noted that
48 percent of trafficking cases between 2015 and 2018

web pages for advertisements.
By Maya Shabi involved the use of free-standing web pages or classified
EverC The internet has also broadened the geographical scope
uman trafficking has exponentially risen in the of traffickers´ operations, helping them operate across
United States in the past decade. According to borders and in multiple locations at the same time—all
the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics (see https:// while physically exploiting the victims in a single location.
H bit.ly/3YllKYX), the number of persons pros- How traffickers pose as legitimate businesses
ecuted for human trafficking increased 84 percent from
2011 to 2020. A total of 2,198 persons were referred to U.S. Traffickers have creative ways to introduce their revenue
Attorneys for human trafficking offenses in the 2020 fiscal back into the financial system as if it were legitimate clean
year alone. money. This is commonly referred to as money laundering
or transaction laundering when performed online.
Human trafficking has not only increased but gotten
more sophisticated as technology advances and becomes In its advisory on human trafficking (see https://bit.
more complex. Today, traffickers take advantage of digital ly/3wAjQYl), the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network
payment processing, regulatory loopholes and fraudulent (FinCen) introduced four new human trafficking
practices to commit crimes. typologies. These explain the evolving techniques
traffickers are using to evade detection.
Following the first National Human Trafficking
Awareness Month, January 2023, here's an overview of • Front companies – Fictitious companies used to
how traffickers monetize their offenses and what banks, cover illegal practices
payment providers and acquirers should do to stop it.
• Exploitive employment practices – Exploitative
What does human trafficking look like? employment schemes, such as visa fraud and wage
retention, used by seemingly legitimate businesses
Traffickers use force, fraud or coercion to lure their victims to amass profit
and force them into labor, commercial sexual exploitation
or illegal activities. These criminals look for victims • Funnel accounts – Accounts used to launder money
who are susceptible for a variety of reasons, including between intermediaries to fund unlawful activities
psychological or emotional vulnerability, economic
hardship, lack of a social safety net, natural disasters or • Alternative payments – Payment methods such as
political instability. Often, language barriers, fear of their cash, credit cards, prepaid cards and convertible
traffickers and/or fear of law enforcement keep victims virtual currency
from seeking help.
Traffickers exploit regulatory
According to the UN’s social and economic watchdog, the gaps to process payments
International Labor Organization, the profit from human In particular, the use of alternative payments is incredibly
trafficking is calculated to be $150 billion per year. This concerning for banks, acquirers and payment providers.
money finds its way back into financial and payment
systems, allowing the criminals and perpetrators to enjoy Traffickers use third-party payment processors (TPPPs)
the success of their criminal acts, encouraging them to to wire funds, which gives the appearance that the TPPP
continue, and even expand. is the originator. TPPPs are firms that act as a payment
Traffickers use the internet in growing numbers processor to facilitate payments through a clearance and
settlement system by a written agreement with the seller.
The internet and digital technologies are increasingly used In some instances, these vehicles aggregate high-risk
to facilitate trafficking. In fact, the United Nations Office merchant customers that are unable to obtain banking
on Drugs and Crime reported that since 2009, the share of services directly.
victims trafficked using a form of social media has grown
from zero to 51 percent. Currently, TPPPs are excluded from the definition of
money transmitters and are therefore not subject to
Illegal content is being displayed in plain sight on the the rigorous anti-money-laundering and customer due
internet. Our proprietary data reveals that approximately diligence obligations of the Bank Secrecy Act. FinCEN

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