Credit Card Companies Blacklist Backpage.com Due To Sex Trafficking Allegations

Visa Inc V announced on Wednesday that it will join with rivals MasterCard Inc MA and American Express Co AXP in taking a stand against the underground U.S. sex trafficking industry by blacklisting classified advertising site Backpage.com. According to law enforcement officials, the site is at the center of a sex-trafficking industry that preys on young and vulnerable women.

The accusations
According to Chicago-area Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart, sex traffickers use the “adult” section of Backpage and similar classified sites to post ads for illegal prostitutes that advertise their services as “escorts.” Dart recently asked both Visa and MasterCard to join American Express in no longer providing service to Backpage’s adult section.

Taking action
After MaterCard agreed to remove its services to Backpage on Tuesday, Visa followed up with a similar announcement on Wednesday. “Visa has a long history of working with law enforcement to safeguard the integrity of the payment system, and we will continue to do so,” Visa spokesman Jon Earnhardt said in a statement.

Step in the right direction
Now that the major credit card companies have withdrawn their services, the only remaining way to pay for adult advertising on Backpage is by using Bitcoin. While law enforcement agencies understand that this single move will not bring an end to the sexual exploitation of children and vulnerable women, Dart is adamant that the move is a step in the right direction.

“What we’ve wanted all along is to make it more difficult and make (traffickers) easier to catch,” he added.
According to Reuters, the Cook County Sheriff’s office alone has made more than 800 arrests since 2009 stemming from the use of Backpage’s site. A representative from Backpage declined to comment.