People smugglers are offering migrants discounted Channel crossings in exchange for filming their journeys for social media promotion.
The footage is then posted on platforms like TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook to entice others to make the dangerous journey.
The tactic was revealed by Paul Brisley from the National Crime Agency (NCA), which has been working to remove such content from social media.
Migrants receive cheaper crossing fees for providing videos that help smugglers boost their illegal business.
Migrants have reportedly been paid to film their own journeys
GB News/TIKTOK
Many migrants attempting to cross the Channel have made initial contact with smugglers through social media platforms. One video discovered on TikTok showed footage of a small boat crossing the Channel with the Union Jack flag and an emoji pointing towards England.
The account was run by a man from Afghanistan. The NCA triggered the removal of more than 8,000 social media accounts promoting crossings last year.
This represents a significant increase from the 5,600 accounts removed in 2023. Officials estimate these takedowns accounted for almost half of all accounts advertising people-smuggling services.
The agency continues to monitor social platforms as smugglers adapt their recruitment tactics.
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In December alone, 1,776 people crossed in 38 boatPA So far this year, 4,392 people in 80 boats have made the crossing to the UK and been picked up by Border Force vessels.
A migrant died on Wednesday after being pulled from the water when a group of people in a dinghy got into difficulty off the French coast.
Another death occurred on Thursday when a person was declared dead despite resuscitation attempts after being rescued from an overloaded boat near Gravelines.
The French coastguard reported numerous departures of migrant boats overnight, with one vessel carrying around 80 people being monitored as it travelled towards the UK.
Europol announced on Wednesday that six arrests were made in Germany and Italy over facilitating migrant smuggling across the English Channel.
The operation was conducted by German and Belgian authorities.
Officials carried out searches in 11 locations in Germany, seizing 90 life vests, fuel containers, two firearms and dozens of electronic devices.
A Home Office spokesperson said the Government will "stop at nothing" to dismantle people-smuggling gangs' business models.
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"We all want to end dangerous small boat crossings, which threaten lives and undermine our border security," they added.
Amnesty International UK's refugee and migrant rights director Steve Valdez-Symonds described the deaths as "deeply shocking".
He called for ministers to engage with their French counterparts on people seeking asylum.
"The Government must finally confront the fact that years of simply trying to 'smash gangs' and 'stop boats' without taking some real share of responsibility for people who currently have no safer options is doing no good whatsoever," he said.
