Criminal networks targeting Ukrainian refugees, says Europol

The EU law enforcement agency Europol coordinated a joint action day to target human traffickers searching specifically for Ukrainian victims online, the agency said in a press statement on Thursday.

"Suspicious activities were detected in a wide range of platforms, including in the Russian language, the statement said.

Forums with offers of help or jobs for refugees, dating platforms, and sexual service platforms were checked to identify attempts by criminal networks to target vulnerable Ukrainian refugees for exploitation.

The action day itself took place on May 23.

The investigators monitored 125 online platforms in 14 different countries and were able to identify nine suspected human traffickers and nine potential victims.

The investigation found a significant number of suspicious job offers to target Ukrainian women, offering photo shoots and promises of a bright future.

Europol said the action day enabled them to gather new insights into the danger of exploitation Ukrainian refugees were exposed to in the areas of sex and employment.