The following article is the last in a three-part series dedicated to understanding and mitigating the threats of human trafficking (in all forms) in the state of Georgia.

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Georgia’s law enforcement community has made significant progress in identifying and combating sex trafficking and labor trafficking. However, a parallel and often less visible form of exploitation continues to impact vulnerable populations across the state: benefits trafficking. Benefits trafficking involves the unlawful acquisition, misuse, or diversion of government assistance benefits through coercion, deception, manipulation, or exploitation of at-risk adults. While often categorized as “financial fraud”, benefits trafficking is more accurately understood as a form of human exploitation that intersects with abuse, neglect[i], identity theft, organized criminal activity, and in some cases, labor and sex trafficking.

As Georgia continues to address the broader threat landscape surrounding human trafficking and exploitation, Chiefs of police and public safety leaders should recognize benefits trafficking as a significant and evolving threat to vulnerable adults and the integrity of public assistance programs.

Understanding Benefits Trafficking

Benefits trafficking occurs when an offender unlawfully obtains or controls another person’s government benefits for personal gain. These benefits may include:

• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits
• Social Security retirement or disability payments
• Veterans’ benefits
• Housing assistance
• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
• Pandemic-related relief funds

Georgia law specifically criminalizes this conduct under O.C.G.A. § 16-5-102.1[ii], which defines trafficking of a disabled adult, elder person, or resident as recruiting, harboring, transporting, or obtaining an at-risk adult through coercion, deception, or exploitation for the purpose of appropriating that person’s resources. At-risk adults are frequently targeted because they rely on these benefits for survival. Offenders exploit cognitive impairments, mental health conditions, substance dependency, homelessness, aging, or social isolation. In many cases, the offender positions themselves as a caregiver, roommate, romantic partner, or informal guardian before gradually assuming control over the victim’s financial resources.

In its most severe form, benefits trafficking becomes a structured criminal enterprise. Victims may be transported between locations, forced to sign over debit cards, compelled to reveal PIN numbers, or coerced into authorizing direct deposits controlled by the offender. Some offenders deliberately recruit multiple vulnerable adults to maximize monthly payouts.

The At-Risk Adult Population

Georgia’s growing population of older adults and individuals with disabilities increases exposure to exploitation. According to national research from the U.S. Department of Justice and Adult Protective Services reporting, financial exploitation remains one of the most common forms of elder abuse. Many incidents go unreported due to victim fear, dependency on the offender, or lack of awareness by frontline responders.

At-risk adults[iii] may include:

• Elderly individuals with diminished cognitive capacity
• Adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities
• Individuals with serious mental illness
• Adults struggling with substance use disorder
• Individuals experiencing homelessness

Offenders deliberately seek individuals who have limited family oversight or inconsistent contact with social services. Isolation reduces the likelihood of detection and increases the offender’s ability to manipulate financial access[iv].

Criminal Methods and Tactics

Law enforcement reporting and investigative case reviews across Georgia indicate several recurring tactics associated with benefits trafficking:

Financial Control and Coercion

Offenders obtain control of debit cards tied to government benefits and require victims to surrender PIN numbers. In some cases, the offender provides minimal food or shelter in exchange for the victim’s entire monthly benefit allotment.

Representative Payee Abuse

Some offenders seek designation as a representative payee for Social Security or disability benefits. Once approved, they divert funds for personal use rather than the intended care of the beneficiary.

Housing Exploitation

Victims may be placed in overcrowded or unsafe housing conditions while offenders collect rent payments funded by public benefits. This practice intersects with labor exploitation and, in some cases, drug trafficking operations.

Identity Theft and Fraud

Offenders may open accounts or apply for additional benefits using the victim’s identifying information. In certain investigations, one offender controls benefits for multiple victims across jurisdictions.

Organized Recruitment

In more complex cases, criminal actors actively recruit vulnerable adults from shelters, hospitals, or treatment facilities with the intent to harvest benefits. These schemes often operate quietly and are not initially classified as trafficking. Instead, cases may be opened as fraud, theft, or exploitation without recognizing the coercive control dynamic at play.

Intersection with Human Trafficking

Benefits trafficking frequently overlaps with other forms of exploitation. Victims who are financially controlled are more susceptible to forced labor, sexual exploitation, and drug dependency coercion. For example:

• A victim forced to surrender disability benefits may also be compelled to perform unpaid labor in exchange for housing.
• An individual with substance dependency may have benefits confiscated and be forced into criminal activity to sustain the offender’s drug enterprise.
• A vulnerable adult exploited for benefits may also be sexually exploited by the same offender or by associates.

This convergence highlights the importance of viewing benefits trafficking within the broader human exploitation framework rather than as a standalone financial crime.

Indicators for Law Enforcement

Law enforcement leaders should ensure officers and investigators are trained to identify indicators of benefits trafficking during routine calls for service. Red flags may include:

• An adult unable to explain how their benefits are managed
• A third party speaking on behalf of the beneficiary in all interactions
• Multiple unrelated adults residing at one address with similar financial complaints
• Evidence that a caregiver controls all identification documents
• Victims reporting they receive only small portions of their benefits
• Overcrowded living conditions inconsistent with reported income

Frontline patrol officers may encounter these indicators during welfare checks, domestic calls, drug investigations, or landlord-tenant disputes. Recognizing exploitation early allows law enforcement to coordinate with Adult Protective Services, financial institutions, and prosecutorial partners before further harm occurs.

Impact on Communities

The consequences of benefits trafficking extend beyond the individual victim. The practice undermines public trust in assistance programs and diverts critical resources intended for vulnerable populations. Financial losses to government benefit programs represent only part of the harm. Victims often experience:

• Malnutrition
• Housing instability
• Physical neglect
• Emotional abuse
• Increased medical vulnerability

Communities may also experience secondary impacts, including increased homelessness, strain on emergency medical services, and repeated law enforcement calls involving the same exploited individuals. Unlicensed care homes often have repeated calls for service to police[v]. Many offenders operate as their own criminal enterprise, organizing benefits trafficking of multiple victims, or managing locations with multiple victims where it becomes a sustained revenue source comparable to other organized criminal activity.

Investigative Considerations

Successful investigation of benefits trafficking requires coordination across multiple agencies. Chiefs should encourage a multidisciplinary approach that may include:

• Adult Protective Services
• Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General
• U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General
• Local prosecutors
• Financial Crimes Units
• Human Trafficking Task Forces

Investigators should examine financial records, direct deposit changes, debit card transaction patterns, and housing arrangements. Interviews must be conducted with trauma-informed practices, as victims may initially defend or protect the offender due to dependency. Charging strategies may include financial exploitation statutes, identity fraud, theft by conversion, racketeering, or human trafficking statutes depending on case facts.

CASE STUDY

Georgia Case Study

The following case highlights a recurring pattern seen in benefits trafficking investigations, where offenders recruit vulnerable adults who receive public benefits and consolidate them in informal housing arrangements while diverting those financial resources for personal gain[vi].

In Dougherty County, authorities investigated Michelle Oliver, who operated an unlicensed personal care home known as Miracle One Care Center. Investigators determined that Oliver recruited elderly and disabled adults, many of whom relied on government benefits such as Social Security, and transported them from Atlanta to properties in Albany. Residents were housed in overcrowded conditions while Oliver controlled their financial resources and failed to provide adequate care. The investigation began after a community complaint was made to Adult Protective Services and ultimately resulted in the removal of several victims from the residence and their placement in licensed facilities.[vii]

Oliver was later convicted on numerous charges related to the neglect and exploitation of disabled and elderly adults, including operating an unlicensed personal care home and multiple counts of financial exploitation of a disabled adult. She was sentenced to 20 years, with the first seven years to be served in prison.

Prevention and Training

Benefits trafficking remains underrecognized compared to sex trafficking. Law enforcement leaders can address this gap through:

• Training patrol officers to identify financial exploitation indicators
• Incorporating benefits trafficking scenarios into human trafficking training
• Developing referral protocols with Adult Protective Services
• Strengthening data sharing with state and federal benefit administrators
• Encouraging community reporting mechanisms

A wealth of trainings and other resources are available through the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)[viii], the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ),[ix] and the National White Collar Crime Center (NW3C)[x]. 

Georgia’s fusion center model supports information sharing across jurisdictions. Patterns of exploitation that appear isolated in one county may reveal organized criminal conduct when viewed statewide. Reporting to GBI-GISAC related to potential benefits trafficking or the abuse, neglect, or exploitation of at-risk adults is always shared with the local jurisdiction in a position to act.

The Role of Intelligence and Information Sharing

As demonstrated in Georgia’s Statewide Threat Assessments, human exploitation remains a high threat category due to its adaptability and reliance on vulnerable populations. Benefits trafficking reflects this same adaptive criminal behavior. Offenders exploit systemic gaps, social isolation, and administrative vulnerabilities. Intelligence-led policing provides the structure necessary to detect recurring addresses, shared phone numbers, or financial accounts tied to multiple victims. Information sharing between municipal police departments, sheriff’s offices, state agencies, and federal partners is essential to disrupting these schemes before they expand.

Looking Ahead

Benefits trafficking will likely continue to evolve alongside broader fraud and human exploitation trends. Digital banking, mobile benefit access, and remote enrollment systems increase efficiency for legitimate beneficiaries but also create new opportunities for exploitation. Georgia’s aging population and ongoing substance abuse challenges may increase the pool of vulnerable individuals targeted by offenders. Without deliberate intervention, these schemes will persist as low-risk, high-reward criminal enterprises.

Chiefs of police play a critical role in reframing benefits trafficking from a minor fraud issue to a serious form of human exploitation. Through awareness, training, and coordinated enforcement strategies, agencies can protect at-risk adults and safeguard public assistance systems. Human trafficking does not always present as forceful movement across state lines or visible physical abuse. In many communities, it appears as quiet financial control, hidden in plain sight, depriving vulnerable adults of the very benefits designed to protect them. Recognizing benefits trafficking as exploitation rather than mere fraud strengthens investigative outcomes and affirms law enforcement’s commitment to protecting Georgia’s most vulnerable citizens.

[i] Georgia Bureau of Investigation – Georgia Information Sharing and Analysis Center.
Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of At-Risk Adults in Unlicensed Personal Care Homes Intelligence Snapshot. March 2023.

[ii] Georgia Code § 16-5-102.1, Trafficking of a Disabled Adult, Elder Person, or Resident.

[iii] Administration for Community Living. 2021 Profile of Older Americans. November 2022.

[iv] GBI-GISAC. Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of At-Risk Adults in Unlicensed Personal Care Homes Intelligence Snapshot. March 2023

[v] GBI-GISAC. Abuse, Neglect, and Exploitation of At-Risk Adults in Unlicensed Personal Care Homes Intelligence Snapshot. March 2023

[vi] Georgia Office of the Attorney General, “Atlanta Woman Convicted of Neglect and Exploitation of Disabled and Elderly Adults,” September 14, 2022.

[vii] Georgia Office of the Attorney General, “Carr Announces New Charges Against Abusers of At-Risk Adults in South Georgia,” June 25, 2018.

[viii] International Association of Chiefs of Police.
Identifying and Responding to Elder Abuse: An Officer’s Role.

[ix] U.S. Department of Justice. Elder Justice Initiative – Elder Abuse Guide for Law Enforcement (EAGLE).

[x] National White Collar Crime Center. Financial Crimes Against Seniors Training.