U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Government Website

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Safely connect using HTTPS

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Breadcrumb

  1. Homeland Security Investigations
  2. Who We Are
  3. Our Priorities
  4. Preventing Crimes of Exploitation

Preventing Crimes of Exploitation

HSI protects the public from crimes of victimization, strategically targeting and investigating individuals and networks that engage in child exploitation, human trafficking, forced labor and financial scams affecting vulnerable populations.

HSI special agents work tirelessly to protect children from exploitation by predators who are involved in the production, distribution and possession of child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and who travel internationally to engage in illicit sexual conduct with minors.

HSI is also a leader in the U.S. government’s investigative efforts to combat the human trafficking of victims into sex or forced labor and is at the forefront of efforts to investigate international financial fraud schemes and scams that target and exploit vulnerable populations such as the elderly.

HSI’s victim-centered approach to these investigations has led to the identification or rescue of thousands of victims of child sexual exploitation, human trafficking and financial fraud.

Click on the topics below to learn more about the types of investigations HSI conducts.

Child Exploitation

Protecting children from crimes of victimization.

Human Trafficking

Leading the global fight against human trafficking.

Forced Labor

Investigating forced labor criminal activity both domestically and internationally.

Financial Crime

Disrupting transnational criminal organizations by targeting and seizing illicit profits.

Last Updated: 04/22/2024
Was this page helpful?
This page was not helpful because the content