Human trafficking is, by nature, a hidden scourge. Accounts of the degree of its prevalence are alarmingly varied and public perception of it even more so. It has often been swept under the rug – out of sight, out of mind – and more recently, it has also been used as a tool to feed mind-boggling conspiracy theories under the hashtags #QAnon and #stophumantrafficking. But we do know that it happens all over the world, particularly in countries like South Africa with high inequality and unemployment. Human trafficking is an opportunistic crime, and in periods of chaos, it thrives on government unaccountability. We are currently experiencing one of those dangerous periods of chaos – the upheaval of the pandemic has created new opportunities for human traffickers to prey on increasingly vulnerable and desperate people.