Crackdown on ads for small boat crossings

MORE than 8,000 social media accounts linked to people smuggling activities were taken down following referrals from the National Crime Agency last year.

- By Paul Jeeves

This was a 43% increase on the 5,600 accounts removed in 2023.

It means more than 16,500 have been taken down since Britain's FBI started working with online giants Facebook, X/Twitter, TikTok and YouTube three years ago.

The 8,000 or so accounts represented more than 90% of all referrals made.

Dangerous

Among those removed are posts falsely promoting cross-Channel speed boats, prizes to migrants who refer a friend, those offering transport from Africa to Europe, and others offering fake ID documents.