'Crime that hides in plain sight': FBI releases warning signs of human trafficking
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WZTV) — Although the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) investigates human trafficking cases throughout the year, the agency announced January marks National Human Trafficking Prevention Month.
The FBI describes human trafficking as "a crime that hides in plain sight." Investigators say human trafficking victims can be imprisoned through force, fraud, physical or psychological coercion.
Authorities are urging people to be aware of the warning signs of human trafficking that include:
- Victims work in the same place they live;
- Poor living conditions;
- They let someone else speak for them;
- They are not in possession of their own travel or immigration documents;
- There are locks on the outside of doors where they live;
- They are constantly watched and guarded by someone;
- They pay their boss for food, clothing and rent;
- They are lied to about the work they are to perform;
- Victims are subjected to debt bondage in which traffickers demand labor to repay debt.
“Human Trafficking is a crime that hides in plain sight and it involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act,” said Special Agent in Charge Douglas M. Korneski of the FBI Memphis Field Office. “The FBI works closely with local, state, and federal law enforcement partners, as well as non-government agencies and non-profits on the front lines to combat human trafficking.”
Anyone who wishes to report an incident of human trafficking or suspected human trafficking is urged to call FBI Memphis (available 24 hours a day) at (901) 747-4300 or submit an anonymous tip at tips.fbi.gov.
Victims of human trafficking are encouraged to call the National Human Trafficking Resources Center Hotline at 1-(888)-373-7888.
