Crypto transfers tied to suspected human trafficking networks surged 85% year over year in 2025, according to Chainalysis . Reports say the total volume reached hundreds of millions of dollars across services that investigators have linked to forced labor operations, prostitution rings, and the sale of child sexual abuse material. The firm said much of the activity it tracked was concentrated in Southeast Asia, where trafficking networks have been connected to scam compounds and cross-border fraud hubs. The flows were identified through wallet clustering, transaction tracing, and analysis of services believed to be facilitating exploitation. Stablecoins Dominate Payment Channels Based on reports, international escort services and prostitution networks operated almost entirely using stablecoins. These tokens were preferred over more volatile cryptocurrencies , allowing operators to receive payments without sharp price swings. Chainalysis said that labor placement agents — some accused of kidnapping workers and forcing them into scam operations — also relied on crypto to collect and move funds. Messaging platforms such as Telegram were cited as distribution points for certain services, including escort listings and recruitment ads. Crypto wallets linked to these listings showed repeated payment patterns and connections to broader illicit clusters. Links To Scam Compounds And Laundering Networks Reports note that many of the identified wallets were closely aligned with online casinos and Chinese-language money-laundering groups. Scam compounds, which have drawn global attention for coercing victims into running online fraud schemes, appeared interconnected with trafficking-related payment flows. In several cases, funds moved between services before being routed toward exchanges or converted into other digital assets. Chainalysis noted that the convergence of the networks indicated that there is a shared financial infrastructure. Instead of individual operations, the data indicated that there are clusters of wallets that overlap and interact with each other under different categories of illicit activities. Blockchain Transparency As An Investigative Tool However, Chainalysis asserted that even with the increase in crypto-related trafficking flows, there were advantages to blockchain investigation. For instance, digital assets are permanently recorded and publicly visible, unlike cash. This record enables compliance and law enforcement to track movement, detect transaction patterns, and recognize suspicious activity. The firm advised monitoring for large, recurring transfers to labor brokers, wallet clusters active across several illicit service types, and repeated stablecoin conversion patterns. The exchanges are seen as strategic choke points, where intervention is possible when funds try to re-enter the traditional financial system. The Chainalysis findings are a reflection of the increased use of crypto currencies in criminal activities and the increased ability to track them. Chainalysis argues that although digital assets are utilized in these trafficking networks, the transparency of these systems will aid in the disruption of these networks. Featured image from Pixabay, chart from TradingView
