If you suspect trafficking
Reporting a suspicion
Who to contact
- Emergency, or a crime in progress
- 911
- Text line
- 233733
- Text “HELP” or “INFO” if a call is not safe for you.
ATLAS is not an emergency service
ATLAS does not operate a tip line, does not respond to incidents in progress, and cannot conduct a welfare check. We hold no law enforcement authority. Nothing sent to us through this website reaches anyone quickly enough to help someone who is in danger right now.
If you believe a person is in immediate danger, call 911. For everything else, the National Human Trafficking Hotline is the correct first call: it is staffed around the clock, it routes information to the agency with jurisdiction, and it can connect a victim directly to services.
What information is useful
You do not need to be certain, and you do not need a complete picture. Report what you actually observed and leave out what you assume. Do not investigate, follow anyone, confront anyone, or post about it publicly — that can put a victim at greater risk and can compromise a case that is already open.
Where and when
Addresses, business names, intersections, dates, and times. Recurring patterns — a vehicle that appears every Thursday night — are often more useful than a single observation.
Who you saw
Approximate ages, physical descriptions, and how many people were present. Names or nicknames if you heard them. Do not attempt to obtain identification.
Vehicles
Make, model, color, and license plate, including the state. Partial plates still help.
What made you concerned
The specific behavior you observed: someone unable to speak for themselves, signs of control over money or documents, restricted movement, a minor with a much older unrelated adult, or working conditions that appear coerced.
How to reach you
Reports can be anonymous. Contact details are optional, but an investigator who can call you back can ask the questions that turn an observation into a case.
What happens after a report
Hotline staff take the details, ask clarifying questions, and determine where the information belongs. Depending on what you describe, it may go to local law enforcement, to a federal task force, or to a service provider who can reach the person you are concerned about.
Most reports do not produce visible results, and you will usually not be told what happened. That is not an indication the report was worthless. Single observations are routinely combined with other reports over months to establish the pattern that makes a case chargeable.
That pattern work is what ATLAS does once a case is under development — building observations into evidence that a prosecutor can use, and referring it to the agency with jurisdiction.
Sending something to ATLAS
This form is not monitored for emergencies and is not a substitute for the hotline. Use it only for non-urgent information or questions.