Channel migrants offered discounts if they film their crossing for TikTok
Migrants are encouraged to film the journeys and then post them on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook in order to lure others into making the dangerous crossings.
In return, they get a cheaper crossing as the footage boosts business for the smugglers.
The new tactic was revealed by Paul Brisley, from the National Crime Agency (NCA), which has been taking down the social media posts in an attempt to stem the crossings.
Last year, the NCA triggered the removal of more than 8,000 social media accounts promoting crossings – up from 5,600 it had removed in 2023. It is estimated the takedowns accounted for almost half of accounts advertising people-smuggling services.
A total of 4,392 people in 80 boats have made the crossing to the UK so far this year and been picked up by Border Force vessels. On Wednesday, a migrant died after being pulled from the water after a group of people in a dinghy got into difficulty off the French coast.
Many of the migrants seeking to cross the Channel have connected with people smugglers via social media. One video on TikTok showed footage of a small boat being transported across the Channel with the Union Jack flag and an emoji pointing towards England. The man running the account is from Afghanistan.
Families targeted by incentives
The cost of securing passage across the Channel in a small boat ranges from £1,500 to £6,000, with discounts said to range between £1,000 and £2,000.
Talking about the discounts on offer, Mr Brisley said: 'The adverts show photographs of migrants in a boat, using videos of the migrants themselves as an endorsement of the service.'
He said incentives were offered for family groups, certain nationalities, women and children. 'They will also offer discounts if migrants take a video of their journey if it is successful, that they can then use to promote their service,' he added.
Social media adverts also promote services such as supplying false and fraudulent documentation.
'The criminals offer migrant smuggling services, the supply of false documents and fraudulent assistance with visa applications,' said Mr Brisley.
Alp Mehmet, chairman of Migration Watch UK, said: 'It's welcome news there is a crackdown on social media channels. It is disturbing to hear that they are offering discounts for video footage. It shows they are very entrepreneurial. This is a ruthless business making millions each year.'
Many videos are often accompanied by joyous music and showing British life and culture in a positive light.
An immigration source said: 'The videos are becoming more sophisticated. Social media is the marketplace for these journeys.
'The smugglers are getting more and more professional in their approach. There is also more competition than ever, so they have to stay one step ahead. They are making their adverts as professional as they can. That includes making crossings look as safe and peaceful as possible. But in reality, they are dangerous.'
This time last year, just more than 3,683 migrants had arrived on small boats across the Channel.
Some 261 migrants arrived after making the journey in five boats on March 10, taking the provisional total of arrivals for the year to 4,395 people.
A Home Office spokesman said: 'We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security.
'The people-smuggling gangs do not care if the vulnerable people they exploit live or die, as long as they pay. We will stop at nothing to dismantle their business models and bring them to justice.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
8 hours ago
- The Guardian
Far-right extremists using games platforms to radicalise teenagers, report warns
Far-right extremists are using livestream gaming platforms to target and radicalise teenage players, a report has warned. The new research, published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology, reveals how a range of extremist groups and individuals use platforms that allow users to chat and livestream while playing video games to recruit and radicalise vulnerable users, mainly young males. UK crime and counter-terror agencies have urged parents to be especially alert to online offenders targeting youngsters during the summer holidays. In an unprecedented move, last week Counter Terrorism Policing, MI5 and the National Crime Agency issued a joint warning to parents and carers that online offenders 'will exploit the school holidays to engage in criminal acts with young people when they know less support is readily available'. Dr William Allchorn, a senior research fellow at Anglia Ruskin University's international policing and public protection research institute, who carried out the study with his colleague Dr Elisa Orofino, said 'gaming-adjacent' platforms were being used as 'digital playgrounds' for extremist activity. Allchorn found teenage players were being deliberately 'funnelled' by extremists from mainstream social media platforms to these sites, where 'the nature and quantity of the content makes these platforms very hard to police'. The most common ideology being pushed by extremist users was far right, with content celebrating extreme violence and school shootings also shared. On Tuesday, Felix Winter, who threatened to carry out a mass shooting at his Edinburgh school, was jailed for six years after the court heard the 18-year-old had been 'radicalised' online, spending more than 1,000 hours in contact with a pro-Nazi Discord group. Allchorn said: 'There has definitely been a more coordinated effort by far-right groups like Patriotic Alternative to recruit young people through gaming events that first emerged during lockdown. But since then a lot of extremist groups have been deplatformed by mainstream spaces, so individuals will now lurk on public groups or channels on Facebook or Discord, for example, and use this as a way of identifying someone who might be sympathetic to reach out to.' He added that, while some younger users turn to extreme content for its shock value among their peers, this can make them vulnerable to being targeted. Extremists have been forced to become more sophisticated as the majority of platforms have banned them, Allchorn said. 'Speaking to local community safety teams, they told us that approaches are now about trying to create a rapport rather than making a direct ideological sell.' The study also spoke to moderators, who described their frustration at inconsistent enforcement policies on their platforms and the burden of deciding whether content or users should be reported to law enforcement agencies. While in-game chat is unmoderated, moderators said they were still overwhelmed by the volume and complexity of harmful content, including the use of hidden symbols to circumvent banned words that would be picked up by automated moderation tools, for example, a string of symbols stitched together to represent a swastika. Allchorn highlighted the need for critical digital literacy for parents as well as law enforcement so they could better understand how these platforms and subcultures operate. Last October Ken McCallum, the head of MI5, revealed that '13% of all those being investigated by MI5 for involvement in UK terrorism are under 18', a threefold increase in three years. AI tools are being used to assist with moderation, but they struggle to interpret memes or when language is ambiguous or sarcastic.
Metro
8 hours ago
- Metro
Cat named Leonardo da Pinchy terrorises town by stealing people's underwear
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video A cheeky cat called Leonardo da Pinchi has been stealing pants and socks from his neighbours. His relentless laundry raids have made him quite the notorious celebrity in Mairangi Bay, New Zealand. The 15-month-old feline thief has expensive taste too – seeking out silk boxer shorts and thick men's work socks, often with the clothes pegs still attached. He's even stolen a brand-new $300 NZD (£134) cashmere sweater. His criminal life first started when he was let outdoors for the first time last year. The problem has got out of hand for his owner Helen North who struggles to manage her cat's kleptomania. She said: 'My daughter was at home sick and she rang me at work saying, 'It's bad, it's bad, this is the worst thing he's brought in, it's really bad,' she said. 'Because it was beautiful. I was like, 'Ooh, can I keep that?' But I couldn't.' To Helen's horror, the stolen stash just keeps growing – everything from piles of socks, loads of underwear, and even a bizarre five-foot-long stuffed snake. Leo's record so far in one day is nine stolen items. Helen continued: 'He brought in a jersey this morning at ten past eight. The shops hadn't even opened.' Helen has tried everything under the sun to stop his thieving habits including keeping him indoors to leaving out clothes at home for him to steal. She said: 'He only wants stuff that he shouldn't have.' She has no choice now but to post photos of his loot on a local Facebook page, along with an apology and her address. A woman recognised her pink and purple underpants, and a boy was reunited with his missing sports jersey. More Trending One of Leo's regular targets is allergic to cats and she is forced to dry her washing indoors. 'All of our neighbours think he's amazing,' she said. 'Some of them are quite put out that he hasn't actually stolen anything of theirs.' Helen hopes that this is just a childhood phase for Leo and that he will grow out of it. She added: 'I hope he grows out of it because I don't want to do this for like, 15 years. This is a lot of admin.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: You could have the cutest job in the world and become a duck-crossing warden MORE: Zoo kills 12 baboons because there wasn't enough space MORE: Tsunami warnings still in place after 8.8 magnitude Russian earthquake
Times
8 hours ago
- Times
Yvette Cooper accused of blocking investigation into ‘police rapists'
The home secretary Yvette Cooper has been accused of ignoring victims by blocking an independent investigation into allegations of rape by police officers. This week five women, who were exploited by grooming gangs as children, claimed they were also sexually abused by officers in Rotherham at the time. Two of them said they were raped in the back of police cars, and told they would be handed back to the gang if they did not comply. The home secretary has resisted calls to set up a National Crime Agency (NCA) investigation into police officers and other officials since January, Nick Timothy MP, a former Number 10 chief of staff, claimed on Friday. South Yorkshire police is investigating, but critics said they were 'shocked' the force had been trusted to investigate its own staff, citing 'cover-up after cover-up'. Lawyers for the victims said they were being 'retraumatised' by the process, or simply 'refuse to report' to the force that treated them so badly. One of the victims, known as Amy, said 'requests to hand over the investigation to another, independent, police [force] … have been repeatedly rejected'. Three arrests have been made, but no charges brought. The first allegation of child rape against an officer dates back ten years. The Times understands another victim has made allegations of sexual abuse against a Greater Manchester police officer. The lawyers said their clients have named a further four South Yorkshire police officers as alleged perpetrators. Timothy said a specialist NCA unit must be set up to investigate police officers and other officials who facilitated or carried out grooming crimes. 'It is harrowing that, ten years after allegations of rape were first levelled at police officers, not a single one has been brought to justice,' he said. 'These are claims of child rape in police cars and dealing of drugs used to coerce victims. This could not be more serious. Forces cannot investigate themselves. Yvette Cooper must reconsider her position.' Professor Alexis Jay, whose public inquiry found there were 1,400 child victims of grooming gangs in Rotherham, said she was 'shocked' that South Yorkshire police was being allowed to investigate its own officers. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, has also written to Cooper to ask for an independent investigation. • How the child sex grooming gangs scandal unfolded over 20 years Another victim said a police officer had threatened to hand her over to the grooming gang if she did not have sex with him. 'I would rather be raped once, or give one man oral sex, than to be taken somewhere where I know it'd be 15, 20 guys one after another. That was just easier,' she said. Allegations against officers emerged during the 2016 trial of the Rotherham gang. This included a claim that ringleader Basharat Hussain had 'somebody from CID' on the payroll 'so he wouldn't get busted'. The unknown detective had also divulged to him the location of a safe house being used to protect a vulnerable girl. In a separate case, a 12-year-old in a residential home said she tried to report her abuse to another police officer, but instead was driven down a country lane, called a liar and her paperwork was ripped up in front of her. Allegations against police officers in the northwest were allegedly 'buried'. Maggie Oliver, a former Greater Manchester police officer turned whistleblower, said she had been told to halt her investigation in 2004 into a suspected child rapist because he was still serving in the force and under internal investigation. When she returned to work after a period of compassionate leave 'the whole job had been buried', she said earlier this year. The victim, Steph, told a Channel 4 documentary 'there wasn't any doubt' that the car had picked her up, and taken her to a flat where she was raped for two days. An investigation by the the Independent Office for Police Conduct into allegations against 47 police officers resulted in two written warnings and no prosecutions. Whistleblowers labelled the 2022 result 'another chapter in the failure for the survivors' and revealed a litany of investigation failings, including lost documents and dysfunctional leadership. Sammy Woodhouse, who was groomed by the Rotherham gang and became pregnant, said: 'They've known about this for 12 years. It's cover-up after cover-up.' The survivor, whose testimony to the late Times reporter Andrew Norfolk in 2013 helped lead to Jay's public inquiry, added: 'It's certainly no secret that, in my hometown of Rotherham, police officers were directly involved with rape gangs.' The BBC reported that one woman in the ongoing case, known as Willow, identified PC Hassan Ali as having raped her. 'The first time, he literally said: 'You do it for the other officer. So you're gonna do it for me',' she said. Ali was also one of the main officers on Woodhouse's case, and one day turned up at her parents' home and 'asked me on a date', she said this week. The police watchdog, then called the IPCC, had opened an investigation into five allegations including corruption, and he was put on restricted duties on the day he was hit by a car in January 2015. He died a week later at the age of 44. At his inquest it emerged that Ali was considered a 'community elder' by the university student who ran him over. He was accused of leaking information from the police computer system. Woodhouse also said he attended 'pop and crisp' nights for children, where he met one of his victims. He allegedly helped to arrange a deal in which a grooming gangster handed over an abused girl, 14, to authorities at a petrol station, after being promised he would not be arrested. Arshid Hussain was found guilty of abduction over the incident. Woodhouse accused a second officer of 'buying drugs from my rapist'. She said the failure to properly investigate was 'absolutely despicable'. Amy Clowrey of Switalskis Solicitors, which represents the five women alongside dozens of other Rotherham victims, said 'the lack of progress is exhausting'. 'For seven years we thought they were handling it,' she said, referring to the allegations that emerged in 2016. 'We were waiting for the day when they said they arrested and charged this person, and it just never came.' She wrote to the IOPC and the NCA with allegations in June 2022, but it took more than two years for an arrest to be made. 'It's shocking that they didn't do anything about it [until 2024] … We've been constantly chasing,' she said. Jay said it was 'very hard to see the justification' for South Yorkshire police to investigate its own officers. 'It would have been cleaner all round to simply ask another police to investigate this.' Hayley Barnett, assistant chief constable of South Yorkshire police, said she was 'acutely aware of how profoundly difficult, if not impossible' it is for victims to report to her force. 'Our detectives, under the direction of the IOPC, have always taken prompt action when they have received information linked to this investigation, including information from solicitors,' she said. 'The enquiries carried out have been extensive and complex, and we have worked hard, and without fear or favour, to obtain relevant information from third parties in our pursuit for justice.' The IOPC said they are 'satisfied that there is no conflict of interest' from South Yorkshire police investigating its own officers. Greater Manchester police said: 'Some information has recently been raised that was not previously disclosed to the investigation at the time. We are therefore re-visiting these serious allegations and are speaking to any relevant witnesses.' A Home Office spokesman said a new national police operation, led by the NCA, would 'ensure that every historic case is fully investigated, that the perpetrators are put behind bars, and that the victims of these appalling crimes receive the justice they deserve.'
