FBI agents posted provocative photos of young female staff online as bait for sex traffickers without formal authorization, a watchdog report has revealed.
The Justice Department's inspector general said on Monday agents would sometimes use pictures of young female support staff posing as minors, or sex workers to "entice sexual predators" across various different social media sites.
Using pictures of staff is not unheard of - but in these instances, the women used were not authorized to participate in undercover operations and the agents who posted them did not get written permission, or notify their supervisors.
There was no policy that required agents to do so.
The practice was uncovered during a separate investigation into an agent accused of having an inappropriate relationship with a coworker.
He asked the woman, an officer staffer, to send him "provocative pictures" to use in the online sex trafficking bust - even though she was not a law enforcement agent.
Although the women's faces were blurred and they were not naked in the images, the watchdog raised concerns these images were now online - and could victimise the women.
It recommended the FBI establish a clear policy to establish consent, and inform managers of intentions to use images of staffers.
The FBI has accepted the recommendations and will ensure the new rules are taught to staff members involved in undercover operations.