Human traffickers luring Ukrainian refugees targeted in European crackdown

Criminals discovered searching for Ukrainian victims online

Refugees escaping from Ukraine have been targeted by people traffickers. EPA

Hundreds of people have been investigated in a European crackdown on gangs trying to traffic Ukrainian refugees.

Europe's crime agency Europol has been working with 14 nations, including the UK, Denmark and Germany, to identify online gangs trying to lure vulnerable people.

It has launched 15 new investigations into trafficking.

“The investigators monitored different online platforms to detect criminal networks attempting to recruit vulnerable Ukrainian refugees,” it said.

“The online investigations focused on the monitoring of posts offering help to refugees for transportation, accommodation and work.

“Dating sites and recruitment websites were monitored, as well as platforms offering sexual services. The countries bordering Ukraine focused on recruitment, transportation and accommodation of refugees, while others focused on platforms offering housing and jobs to refugees.”

During the action day, investigators identified suspicious advertisements targeting Ukrainian refugees, looked into tips received by the police and reviewed indicators of potential trafficking for labour exploitation.

Out of 125 online platforms which were monitored, 48 were suspected of having potential links to human trafficking.

Nine people have been identified as suspected people traffickers and Europol discovered nine victims.

Almost 100 officers took part in the operation, which involved more than 350 people and usernames being checked.

“The monitoring activities led to the identification of new trends, and gathered insights into the threat of sexual and labour exploitation of Ukrainian refugees,” Europol said.

“Suspicious activities were detected in a wide range of platforms, including in the Russian language. Different platforms were prioritised depending on the specific social media use per country.

“Many online marketplaces and websites appear to be taking significant steps to combat the misuse of their platforms for trafficking Ukrainian refugees.

“However, law enforcement officers found a significant number of suspicious job offers targeting Ukrainian women, some of which were described as ‘photo shoots’.

“Investigators identified attempts to lure victims through offers of a ‘bright future’, which tricked them into sexual exploitation, or accommodation offers specifically targeted at Ukrainian refugees.”