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The world of professional sports thrives on the thrill of competition, the anticipation of victory, and the passion it evokes in millions of fans around the globe. This frenzy reaches its apex during championship events such as the Super Bowl and the FIFA World Cup. While these global spectacles are celebrated for their unifying spirit and entertainment value, they will also attract illicit activities due to the massive influx of people, money, and media attention. Understanding these risks is critical for financial institutions and law enforcement agencies responsible for disrupting and targeting the illicit financial gains of traffickers who profit from human suffering.
 Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the HSI-led DHS Center for Countering Human Trafficking (CCHT) have observed that large-scale sporting events often lead to an increase in trafficking situations as traffickers exploit the influx of visitors and the increased anonymity provided by the bustling urban environments. In response, in the lead-up to this year’s Super Bowl and FIFA World Cup, CCHT and the DHS Blue Campaign are coordinating proactive outreach efforts to raise awareness of human trafficking. CCHT has collaborated with multiple HSI attaché and domestic field offices to deliver human trafficking training to our law enforcement partners. As part of this collective effort, CCHT ensures that the training needs for these significant events are fully supported.
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Recent cases demonstrate how traffickers attempt to exploit large-scale sporting events and how HSI’s enforcement efforts have made a tangible impact. In May 2024, an HSI investigation resulted in a Texas man and his accomplice being sentenced to more than twenty-two years and nine years’ imprisonment, respectively, on charges of human trafficking in connection with the NCAA Final Four and March Madness basketball games held in New Orleans. The defendants trafficked three victims, who were forced to travel to various states, including Louisiana, Iowa, and Kansas, to engage in commercial sex. (https://www.ice.gov/news/releases/sex-trafficker-sentenced-22-years-following-hsi-new-orleans-investigation; https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/2025-08/25_00809_ccht_fy24-year-in-review-annual-report_508.pdf) In April 2025, HSI led an operation in downtown San Antonio during Final Four weekend that led to the rescue of eight human trafficking victims (HSI and multiple agencies collaborate to dismantle trafficking rings during Final Four).
The recruitment and movement of victims, often from vulnerable populations, are facilitated by criminal organizations. Human traffickers use deceptive recruitment practices, leaving victims trapped in exploitative conditions long after these large-scale events have ended. Combating human trafficking requires a whole-of-society effort, and HSI urges everyone to remain vigilant and report suspicious activity.
  Money Laundering and Financial Institutions
Large-scale sporting events are prime targets for money laundering due to their large financial scale and global reach. Criminal organizations and human traffickers exploit these events to move illicit funds through legitimate channels, often using structured transactions, funnel accounts, prepaid debit cards, and rapid peer-to-peer (P2P) payment systems. The increased demand for commercial sex services during these events provides traffickers with cover and opportunities to launder profits.
Financial institutions play a critical role in detecting money laundering linked to human trafficking. They monitor suspicious patterns such as frequent cash deposits, international transfers to unrelated accounts, and the use of shell companies. Collaboration between financial institutions and law enforcement agencies, such as HSI, is essential for sharing intelligence, identifying emerging trends, and disrupting these criminal networks. The information uncovered by financial institutions is vital, helping investigators track criminal activity before, during and after these large-scale sporting events. Even as traffickers believe they have slipped away unnoticed once the crowds disperse, the financial trails left behind can provide the key evidence needed to bring them to justice.
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 Red Flag Indicators
The following is a list of red flag indicators for human trafficking observed by HSI at large-scale events and during surge operations:
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Frequent Transfers via Apps: Funds from victims may be sent to traffickers through P2P platforms such as Cash App or Venmo. Traffickers may instruct victims to remit proceeds digitally, making the funds harder to trace.
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Structured or Funnel Account Deposits: Proceeds derived from trafficking may be structured into smaller deposits across multiple accounts or geographic locations to avoid triggering suspicious activity reporting thresholds.
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Unusual remittance patterns: Money flows are inconsistent with common patterns, such as inflows received predominantly in cash, inconsistent with the declared line of business or outflows directed to U.S. or Mexican border cities without apparent justification.
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Payments for Travel and Lodging: Hotel bookings may be made under pseudonyms or names not directly associated with the trafficker or their victims. Clusters of payments for short-term lodging or transportation, particularly in areas near trafficking activity, are common.
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Luxury expenditures inconsistent with income: Leasing luxury vehicles or financing extravagant trips through business accounts inconsistent with the stated income.
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Advertisements and Digital Payments: Traffickers often finance illicit ads to promote commercial sex. Frequent small payments for online escort service ads and high-end advertising or website hosting linked with commercial sex advertisements. Payment patterns for multiple online advertisements, especially on suspect platforms, are key financial red flags. The identity of those funding and creating the ads can also provide critical financial leads.
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Transfers to Co-Conspirators or Complex Networks: Payments from traffickers to co-conspirators or individuals within their operational network help facilitate trafficking operations. This includes financial dealings with family members or partners who assist in these activities.
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Unusual Financial Activity in Known Fronts: Businesses such as modeling, travel agencies, employment companies, au pair babysitting services, international matchmaking services, massage parlors, hospitality, landscaping, construction, escort services, pornography, and strip clubs—sometimes used as fronts for trafficking—may show transaction patterns inconsistent with normal operational behavior (e.g., high cash deposits or irregularly high card payments).
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Anomalous Ownership Patterns: Financial accounts, hotel reservations, or rental vehicles may not be directly associated with the trafficker but instead tied to victims or intermediaries, further complicating the financial trail.
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Cash Proceeds and Avoidance of Traditional Banking: Victims may be required to hand over physical cash directly to the trafficker, avoiding traditional banking systems entirely. Alternatively, traffickers may deposit earnings into personal accounts with unusual patterns of withdrawal or immediate transfer after deposits are made.
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Localized Spending Clusters: High-frequency spending in geographic areas known for human trafficking activities—such as spending at locations like hotels, transportation hubs, or businesses near event venues—may indicate a trafficking nexus.
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Round-the-clock activities or odd transactional timings: Transactions in even dollar amounts during atypical business hours (e.g., 2 a.m. or between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.)
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Customer Payments and Anomalous Spending on Victims’ Accounts: Financial transactions directly tied to customers engaging in commercial sex (e.g., payments listed as "services," "personal care," or other vague terms) may serve as red flags for laundering funds derived from trafficking activities.
For more insight into the various forms of human trafficking and additional red flag indicators, please refer to these previous Cornerstone issues:
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HSI encourages the public to report suspected suspicious activity through its Tip Line. You may remain anonymous. |
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HSI’s mission is to protect the United States by investigating global crimes that impact our local communities. We have over 10,000 employees stationed in over 235 U.S. cities and more than 50 countries worldwide. This gives us an unparalleled ability to prevent crime before it reaches our communities |
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