There is growing evidence that a significant portion of organized retail crime is driven by human traffickers who force their victims to steal and commit financial fraud and other crimes. Some traffickers force victims to shoplift items or purchase gift cards for them, which can then be used to fund trafficking operations without a paper trail. Reselling shoplifted goods and exchanging gift cards for cash enables traffickers to launder money and profit from their victims, in addition to forcing them into commercial sex or other types of labor.

To learn more, join Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST) and MAORCA for a 1-hour webinar on intersections between ORC and human trafficking, and how retail leaders can help counter both kinds of crime: Thursday, May 14th, 2026 at 1pm.

This 1-hour human trafficking prevention training webinar will provide an overview of what human trafficking is and how it intersects with organized retail crime, particularly in retail store settings. Being equipped to recognize and respond effectively to behavioral indicators of human trafficking is vitally important for retailers -- both to prevent further exploitation and to increase the safety of their staff, customers, and stores.

Presentation Outline:

• How human trafficking is defined in U.S. law, including labor and sex trafficking.

• How human trafficking intersects with organized retail crime, particularly in retail store settings.

• Trafficking-related risks to retailers.

• Means of human trafficking: Force, fraud and coercion.

• Behavioral indicators of identify human trafficking and how to identify them.

• How to respond to potential human trafficking incidents in retail settings

• Ways retail leaders can prevent human trafficking.

• Q&A (10 minutes)