OSINT Training Log: Identifying Trafficking Suspects with Malta Police and Our Rescue

Malta — April 2026.

Our latest specialised OSINT training programme brought together 16 investigators from the Malta Police Force (MPF) Cyber Crimes Unit to level up Maltese anti-trafficking and anti-child exploitation policing.  

Delivered by OSINT Industries in partnership with Our Rescue - a global non-profit organisation dedicated to combating human trafficking and child exploitation through direct support to law enforcement and victim identification operations - this programme combined technical OSINT expertise with frontline operational experience, equipping officers with modern OSINT techniques for modern cyber investigations that keep kids safe. 

During training, officers identified 2 wanted criminals, making an impact on day one.

OSINT Industries x Our Rescue 

Through our #OSINT4Good programme, OSINT Industries provides free or at-cost training to units actively working human trafficking and exploitation cases. Our Rescue is part of this mission.

The OSINT Industries x Our Rescue partnership reflects a growing model in law enforcement capability building; OSINT providers and international partners work together to enhance frontline investigative performance, supported by non-profits committed to #OSINT4Good. 

Our collaboration is defined by immediate operational impact. Across our programmes with Kosovo Police, the Italian Cybercrime Unit, and Romanian trafficking investigators, embedding training in real investigative contexts where skills are applied straight away usually leads to astounding successes in-session. 

In Romania, investigators applied OSINT techniques during training to a live case, generating intelligence that contributed to five arrests. Elsewhere, like here in Malta, active cases will take steps where before they were static. 

Across all collaborations, our emphasis remains consistent: equip real investigators, working real cases, with OSINT training they can use immediately - and see results without delay.

Mission Objective: OSINT Against Online-Led Trafficking 

The objectives of this OSINT training were clear:

• Enhance cyberinvestigative capabilities within Malta’s Cyber Crimes Unit
• Advance OSINT methodologies used in cybercrime cases
• Improve identification and tracking of suspects online 
• Strengthen intelligence-led workflows and analytical processes
• Support faster, more efficient case development

Challenge: Trafficking, Hidden in Plain Sight

"That is the fear, that there is no data… For me, human trafficking is the worst form of violence, as it treats the person as if they are nothing.” – PN MP Graziella Attard Previ. [Source: Malta Independent]

According to the U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report, the Maltese government “did not report identifying any Maltese nationals, asylum-seekers, or undocumented migrants as trafficking victims” in 2024; for the third consecutive year, the government “did not identify any child trafficking victims”. As a result, they decreased funding for prevention, continued to lack coordination among ministries, and have never awarded restitution or compensation to any trafficking victims.

Good news? Not quite.

Trafficking is taking place in Malta. The government is not unaware. It’s visible in conspicuous and specific choices not to “effectively enforce labor regulations to prevent recruitment fees charged to workers”, or “make concrete efforts to increase oversight and regulation of massage parlors”. It’s visible in the continued involvement of the European Union, increasing penalties for trafficking of minors and removal of organs. 

It’s thought thousands are vulnerable. Unlike large-scale trafficking hubs, Malta’s high-profile cases tend to show small but organised Mediterranean networks, making heavy reliance on legal migration channels, and enacting exploitation that is both subtle and digitally coordinated. Still, thousands are at risk. Victims are often recruited via social media, then controlled through coercion, debt, or blackmail. It’s hard to see. Even less visible is the layer beneath: offenders using encrypted platforms to co-ordinate illegal acts, and dark web forums to share tactics for enslaving women and children or evading detection.

“Trafficking convictions were often overturned on appeal for administrative technicalities. In February 2022, a judge annulled the prison sentence for a 2020 sex trafficking conviction based on a technicality in court formalities…” – U.S. Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report, 2022. [Source: UDoS]

Prior to 2024, small numbers of identifications were made. The Council of Europe acknowledges Malta particularly struggles with identifying victims within these hidden and increasingly sophisticated online systems, particularly where exploitation leaves little physical evidence. However, with advanced OSINT training that targets the kind of cyber networks that help traffickers hide their crimes, the eyes of those in power can be opened - and more victims can be saved.

OSINT Training: Building Digital Capacity Against Trafficking

Location: Malta

‍Delivered by: OSINT Industries

‍Participants: Malta Police Force Cyber Crimes Unit

‍Trainer: Yoni (@OSINT_Tactical)

‍Participants: 16 Malta Police officers

‍Duration: 4 Days

Skills and Methodologies Developed

OSINT Fundamentals for Law Enforcement

OSINT Basics 101. Officers learned when and where OSINT will make the biggest difference in moving trafficking cases rapidly. Included source evaluation, ethical data collection, legal compliance, and evidentiary standards. 

Visual & Media OSINT

Going beyond an image. Techniques for analysing images and videos, verifying content across platforms, and extracting intelligence from profile pictures - including GeoInt on images. 

Social Media Intelligence (SOCMINT)

Vital for identification. Advanced techniques for analysing activity across social platforms, mapping connections between individuals and networks, and behavioural indicators associated with grooming, recruitment and coercion.

Searching, Data Correlation & Link Analysis

How to find anything. Officers learned to conduct advanced web searches, dork effectively, identify valuable open-source data, and structure online investigations effectively. Then,  connect fragmented data points into coherent intelligence, enabling stronger investigative leads and clearer case narratives.

Introduction to Dark Web Intelligence (DarkINT)

How to traverse the depths. Officers were introduced to OSINT in dark web environments, gaining an understanding of Tor systems and how to safely navigate and identify relevant intelligence sources in sensitive or risky online situations.

Active Case Exercises and Capture the Flag (CTF)

Officers applied OSINT techniques in real time to active cases - identifying two suspects in-session. In the final day’s Capture the Flag exercise, participants had a supportive and interactive environment to put their OSINT skills to the test.

Operational Impact: Two Identities Found In-Session

By embedding OSINT into their workflows, the Malta Police Force Cyber Crimes Unit is better equipped to respond to the scale and complexity of the suspect identification challenge in modern trafficking operations. This training demonstrated not only how structured OSINT methodologies can transform trafficking investigations, but also how quickly OSINT can catch traffickers in the act.

The result was immediate. During training, two previously unidentified suspects were identified.

Training Evaluation

“Our Rescue is proud to partner with OSINT Industries to provide our international law enforcement partners with the latest state-of-the-art training, enhancing their knowledge and capabilities in the fight against child exploitation… The feedback speaks for itself.” – Our Rescue. [Source: Our Rescue]

“The delivery throughout the week was clear, well-structured, and engaging, which contributed significantly to the overall learning experience. A key highlight of the course was the final day’s Capture the Flag… This exercise proved extremely valuable in reinforcing both the skills covered during the training and participants’ prior experience.” – Karl Vince Sammut, Police Inspector. [Source: Our Rescue]

Mission Accomplished 

“Our mandate is simple: ensure that law enforcement has every intelligence advantage possible when kids’ safety is on the line” – Nathaniel Fried, CEO & Founder of OSINT Industries. [Source: OSINT Industries]

Today, OSINT is a core capability for law enforcement who fight trafficking. By equipping investigators with the tools to make smarter decisions faster, and stay ahead of increasingly adaptive gangs.

Ready to join the fight? Get OSINT Training here.