The government is now turning to Tiktok stars to help reduce the number of small boat arrivals, with foreign influencers being paid £5,000 if they tell their followers not to come to Britain.
Influencers in Albania, Iraq, Egypt and Iran may be approached by the Home Office to help with their plan for the modern-day ‘public information film’.
It is hoped the Tiktok videos will successfully target harder to reach groups who are more susceptible to human traffickers.
The government has set aside £100,000 for the project and forms part of a £1 million advertising campaign.
The influencers will be paid to tell their audience potential migrants face being deported to Rwanda or they will not be able to work, according to the Times.
Private company Multicultural Marketing Consultancy has been hired by the Home Office to find Tiktok stars they think are suitable.
One Albanian rapper, known as ‘Omg Dioh’, has been selected as a suitable candidate because he ‘uses the platform to influence and educate youngesers to work hard and follow their passions’.
Comedian Roxhi Dibran, who has 150,000 followers, has also been approached.
A Home Office spokesman said: ‘People smugglers frequently use social media to peddle lies and promote their criminal activities and it is vital that we utilise the same platforms to inform migrants about the truths about crossing the Channel and coming to the UK illegally.
‘We make no apologies for using every means necessary to stop the boats and save lives.’
It comes as Mr Sunak faces increasing pressure to ensure deportation flights to Rwanda begin, even making a £1,000 bet with Piers Morgan the first will take off before the next election.
Last month at least five people died in French waters after a boat carrying dozens of migrants to Britain overturned.
The bodies of five people of Syrian or Iraqi nationality were recovered, maritime prefecture officials told France 24.
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Refugee rights groups stress that, for many who make the perilous and sometimes fatal trip, they don’t have much of a choice.
So-called ‘legal’ safe routes are few and far between for those fleeing famine, poverty and war, groups such as the International Rescue Committee say.
Data from the International Organization for Migration’s Missing Migrants Project suggest that more than 200 people have died at sea while trying to reach the UK since 2014.
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