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85% Increase in Crypto Payments to Human Traffickers

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Last updated
1 unique sources, 1 articles

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Cryptocurrency inflows to human trafficking operations surged 85% annually, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. The growth is linked to Southeast Asian scam compounds, online casinos, and Chinese-language money laundering networks on Telegram. The trafficking activities are categorized into international escort services, labor placement agents, prostitution networks, and child sexual abuse material (CSAM) vendors. CSAM networks show increasing overlap with sadistic online extremism (SOE) communities, targeting minors through sextortion schemes. One dark web CSAM site used 5800 crypto addresses, generating over $530,000 since July 2022.

Timeline

  1. 16.02.2026 12:30 1 articles · 12h ago

    85% Surge in Crypto Payments to Human Traffickers

    Cryptocurrency inflows to human trafficking operations surged 85% annually, totaling hundreds of millions of dollars. The growth is linked to Southeast Asian scam compounds, online casinos, and Chinese-language money laundering networks on Telegram. The trafficking activities are categorized into international escort services, labor placement agents, prostitution networks, and child sexual abuse material (CSAM) vendors. CSAM networks show increasing overlap with sadistic online extremism (SOE) communities, targeting minors through sextortion schemes. One dark web CSAM site used 5800 crypto addresses, generating over $530,000 since July 2022.

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Information Snippets

  • Cryptocurrency inflows to human trafficking operations increased by 85% annually.

    First reported: 16.02.2026 12:30
    1 source, 1 article
    Show sources

  • The growth is linked to Southeast Asian scam compounds, online casinos, and Chinese-language money laundering networks on Telegram.

    First reported: 16.02.2026 12:30
    1 source, 1 article
    Show sources

  • International escort services on Telegram are tightly integrated with Chinese-language money laundering networks.

    First reported: 16.02.2026 12:30
    1 source, 1 article
    Show sources

  • 49% of transfers exceeded $10,000, indicating organized criminal enterprises operating at scale.

    First reported: 16.02.2026 12:30
    1 source, 1 article
    Show sources

  • Labor placement agents on Telegram support kidnapping and forced labor in scam compounds.

    First reported: 16.02.2026 12:30
    1 source, 1 article
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  • Prostitution networks primarily use stablecoins, with 62% of transactions between $1,000-$10,000.

    First reported: 16.02.2026 12:30
    1 source, 1 article
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  • CSAM vendors are increasingly using Monero, with half of transactions under $100.

    First reported: 16.02.2026 12:30
    1 source, 1 article
    Show sources

  • CSAM networks overlap with sadistic online extremism (SOE) communities like “764” and “cvlt.”

    First reported: 16.02.2026 12:30
    1 source, 1 article
    Show sources

  • One dark web CSAM site used 5800 crypto addresses, generating over $530,000 since July 2022.

    First reported: 16.02.2026 12:30
    1 source, 1 article
    Show sources