Photo credit: The Hamilton Spectator
As Canada prepares to host the World Cup soccer, the federal financial intelligence agency is warning that major sporting events can heighten the risk of vulnerable people being exploited by human traffickers.
Toronto Today reports that a new bulletin from the Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada advises businesses to look out for signs of money transactions that could be linked to trafficking for sexual exploitation or forced labour.
The agency, better known as Fintrac, identifies cash linked to money laundering by filtering through millions of pieces of information each year from banks, credit unions, money service businesses, casinos and others.
Fintrac discloses the resulting intelligence to police and security partners, including the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the RCMP.
Fintrac says it made 316 disclosures of actionable financial intelligence in 2024-25 to law enforcement agencies in support of their human trafficking investigations. These disclosures identified 538 subjects of interest and supported 26 project-level investigations, the agency says.
Canada, Mexico and the United States are co-hosting the World Cup from June 11 to July 19.
The tournament will bring together 48 countries for 104 games, including 13 matches in Toronto and Vancouver.
Major international sporting and entertainment events can draw hundreds of thousands of domestic and international visitors to host cities, the bulletin notes.
These events may be associated with an increased risk of sexual exploitation, particularly when the influx fuels demand for accommodations, nightlife, entertainment and commercial sexual services near event venues and transportation hubs, Fintrac says.
As demand rises, the risks to vulnerable people may increase as traffickers adapt their operations to capitalize on the boom in economic activity, the bulletin warns.
It says sexual exploitation linked to major events may be facilitated through online advertising on escort platforms, classified advertising websites and social media.
