Cryptocurrency use explodes in human trafficking networks, online scams: report
NY Post
The number of cryptocurrency payments to suspected human trafficking groups surged 85% in 2025 as digital assets play a growing role in illicit online schemes, according to a new report from analytics firm Chainalysis.
Hundreds of millions of transactions on public blockchains exposed links between cryptocurrency payments and human trafficking networks, child sex abuse operations and online scams, according to the report, which was earlier cited by CNBC.
Most of the alleged criminal crypto activity was traced back to a growing criminal ecosystem in Southeast Asia, though the payments themselves were sent from locations around the world, including North and South America, Europe and Australia, according to Chainalysis.
International escort and prostitution services, scam compounds in Southeast Asia and criminals sharing child sex abuse materials largely relied on crypto payments, the report found.
The shocking report also found that these human trafficking networks are no longer hiding on the “dark web” — but operating in plain view on messaging platforms like Telegram, where they recruit victims and organize crypto payments.
“The key takeaway is that the true financial scale is large, at least hundreds of millions of USD worth of crypto transactions, and the physical harm is orders of magnitude greater than any dollar figure,” Chainalysis intelligence analyst Tom McLouth told CNBC.
