Publication: human trafficking
Logically→ Mel Gibson is not producing a docu-series on global child trafficking
Logically→ Andrew Tate was arrested but only questioned as a witness.
A months-old interview of Andrew Tate with Tucker Carlson from August 2022, predating his arrest, is being shared to claim that he has been released.
Logically→ Elites are harvesting a powerful drug from the bodies of trafficked children.
Adrenochrome does not have the properties ascribed to it by conspiracy theorists and there is no evidence it is being extracted from children.
Snopes→ UK Olympic Great Mo Farah Says He Was Trafficked As a Child
Olympic great Mo Farah -- the winner of four gold medals and one of Britain’s greatest and best-loved athletes -- has been carrying a secret burden all these years.
Snopes→ Target Shopper Says ‘Traffickers’ Left Sunglasses On Her Car Door Handle
"So many people have asked how I knew the sunglasses were a sign of potential trafficking," the Target shopper posted on Facebook.
Truth or Fiction?→ Rep. Matt Gaetz’s 2017 ‘Pace HS’ Tweet Resurfaces Amid Scandal
A popular March 31 2021 Imgur post featured a purported screenshot of a 2017 tweet by Rep. Matt Gaetz (including a photograph of Gaetz and teenaged girls), along with a title indicating the content “aged poorly”: I’d say this tweet a
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘FB Banned over 700 Pages Dedicated to Expose Pedophilia. That Should Scare the Absolute S*** Out of Everyone.’
On September 4 2020, a Facebook user asserted the platform had banned “700 pages” which were “dedicated to expos[ing] pedophilia”: White text against a blue background included the #SaveOurChildren hashtag: FB banned over 70
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘FB Banned over 700 Pages Dedicated to Expose Pedophilia. That Should Scare the Absolute S*** Out of Everyone.’
On September 4 2020, a Facebook user asserted the platform had banned “700 pages” which were “dedicated to expos[ing] pedophilia”: White text against a blue background included the #SaveOurChildren hashtag: FB banned over 70
Truth or Fiction?→ Attempted Florida Pizza Shop Abduction: ‘Hold Tight to Your Babies. 😭😭 They Are Coming for Them’
On September 11 2020, a Facebook user shared the following screen recording of an apparent attempted child abduction, captioned “Hold tight to your babies. They are coming for them”: That had been captured from the Instagram acc
Truth or Fiction?→ Are People Trying to Make the Legal Age of Consent 4 Years Old?
A viral September 3 2020 Facebook post claiming that “there are people trying to make the age of consent four years old” racked up a six-figure share count (archived here) in one week: It read: We can’t buy alcohol or ciga
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘How is Finding 39 Missing Children in a Double Wide Trailer in Georgia NOT the Biggest News Story in America?’
An August 28 2020 Facebook post claiming authorities in Georgia found 39 missing children in a double wide trailer in Georgia went massively viral, apparently by pondering why it was not the biggest story in the United States: That post racked up
Truth or Fiction?→ Victoria’s Secret Bra ‘Tracking Devices’
In late June 2020, a Facebook user shared a video that purportedly showed Victoria’s Secret bras’ tracking devices: In a status update, an account named “Jimm Walker” wrote: THIS IS UNREAL SO Summer 2020 Facebook Posts Abou
Truth or Fiction?→ Does a Facebook Live Reveal a Shocking Secret about ‘LOL Dolls’ Amid #SaveTheChildren Panic?
On August 11 2020, social media users shared a Facebook Live video (archived here), which purportedly unveiled a shocking surprise harbored by the popular LOL Surprise! dolls — that their bodies change color when immersed in water, often in the
Truth or Fiction?→ Do 800,000 Children Go Missing Each Year in the United States?
As child trafficking rumors combined with COVID-19 disinformation went viral in August 2020, concurrent rumors appeared that 800,000 children go missing every year in the United States — or that 2,000 are disappeared each day: Vi
Truth or Fiction?→ How COVID-19 Triggered a #SaveTheChildren Child Trafficking Panic
In the summer of 2020, a massive amount of rumors about child trafficking appeared under the hashtag #savethechildren — and temporary hashtag filtering by Facebook in response was cited as evidence of “media suppression” of a massive
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Oprah Condone Child Abuse and Say ‘If It Feels Good’ that the Child ‘Won’t Even Know’ Abuse Happened?
Child trafficking and abuse conspiracy theories circulated in July and August 2020 thanks to ongoing disinformation campaigns, such as the now-infamous — and entirely debunked every step of the way — QAnon conspiracy theory; among those w
Truth or Fiction?→ Wayfair Child Trafficking Conspiracy Theory
Online store Wayfair received viral internet attention after a July 9 2020 Reddit r/conspiracy thread, which posited that bizarrely-priced, boring utility cabinets on the site were not just overpriced furniture or some kind of error, but instead evide
Snopes→ Trump to Create Post to Focus on Solely Human Trafficking
President Donald Trump plans to expand the White House domestic policy office by appointing an individual to focus exclusively on combating human trafficking, The Associated Press has learned.
Snopes→ Are White Vans Being Used in Coordinated Human Trafficking Abductions?
Human trafficking scarelore stories make for frequent social media hoaxes.
Truth or Fiction?→ ‘The Purest Form of Human Trafficking’
A disturbing October 2019 story out of Arizona’s Maricopa County prompted readers to ask us whether it was legitimate: An Arizona elected official ran a human smuggling scheme that promised pregnant women thousands of dollars to lure them fro
Snopes→ Elected Arizona Official Accused of Selling Babies Suspended
An elected official in Arizona was suspended after he was charged with running a human smuggling scheme that brought pregnant women from the Marshall Islands to the U.S. to give birth and then paid them to give up their children for adoption.
Truth or Fiction?→ Are School Bus Stops Now More Dangerous Because of an All-Time High in Human Trafficking?
A back-to-school themed Facebook warning shared on September 5 2019 (archived here) declared that all school-age children must avoid all school bus stops because of an increased threat of human trafficking: Against a pastel background, black text d
Snopes→ US Woman Arrested at Manila Airport with Baby Hidden in Bag
Jennifer Erin Talbot was able to pass through the airport immigration counter without declaring the baby boy but was intercepted at the boarding gate by airline personnel.
Snopes→ 16 Marines Arrested in Migrant Smuggling Investigation
An investigation into Marines accused of helping smuggle migrants into the United States led to the arrest of 16 of their fellow Marines at California's Camp Pendleton.
Snopes→ Police Break Up Huge ‘Modern Day Slavery’ Ring in UK
Jurors in two separate trials at Birmingham Crown Court heard testimony from more than 90 victims, with indications that at least another 350 had been trafficked by the criminal gang.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did Ontario, California Confirm Kidnappers are Drugging and Abducting Children?
On April 26 2019, a Facebook user shared a screenshot (archived here) of another post, which provided an alarming account of complex abduction attempts purportedly occurring in Ontario, California. The original post was shared by an account with the n
Truth or Fiction?→ Is There a Snapchat Sex Trafficking Ring in Lawrence, Massachusetts?
On April 24 2019, a Facebook user shared the following status (archived here), claiming that a Snapchat sex trafficking ring was operating in Lawrence, Massachusetts: So there’s a sex trafficking ring going on in Lawrence Mass. If you get a random p
Truth or Fiction?→ Uber Sex Trafficking Warning?
On February 19 2019, a woman shared a harrowing account via Facebook which reported that a phony Uber driver in Tampa had nearly successfully abducted her for the purposes of sex trafficking. In her post, Emmy Hurley described the purported brush with
Snopes→ Did Facebook Posts Describe a Real Attempted Kidnapping Involving an Uber Driver in Tampa?
Two viral social media posts described a terrifying, life-threatening ordeal for a woman leaving Florida's Tampa International Airport.
Snopes→ Cindy McCain Apology Shows Challenge for Mixed-Race Families
The incident draws attention to the suspicion that parents, relatives, nannies and others face when they travel with children who don't look like them.
Snopes→ Did Texas and Arizona See a Spate of Sex Trafficking-Related ‘Breath Mint’ Druggings in 2019?
A viral warning enflamed widespread fears about drugs, violence and cross-border kidnappings.
Truth or Fiction?→ Did President Trump Say ‘Illegal Immigration’ Has Been a Problem in the U.S. for ‘Thousands of Years’?
On January 6, 2019, the following status update appeared, paraphrasing purported comments made by United States President Donald Trump which described “illegal immigration” as an American problem for “thousands of years”: Th
Snopes→ Woman Stands by Descriptions of Sexual Harassment in Viral ‘Human Trafficking’ Video
Sexual harassment in public spaces is widespread, but police said they had no evidence of traffickers targeting women in Pinellas County, Florida.
Snopes→ Did Ashton Kutcher’s Software Help Rescue 6,000 Children from Sex Trafficking?
Viral social media posts exaggerated the impact of the actor's much-lauded efforts to end child exploitation.
Snopes→ Did Snopes.com Ignore a Huge Child Trafficking Bust in Arizona?
Disreputable web sites conflated a homeless camp in Arizona with a carefully orchestrated multi-agency sting on the other side of the country.
Snopes→ Was a Child’s Skull Found at an Alleged Sex-Trafficking Bunker Area in Tucson?
Authorities have determined a skull found roughly 20 miles from an abandoned homeless camp belonged to an adult.
Snopes→ Did the U.S. Government Lose Track of 1,475 Migrant Children?
An official from Health and Human Services reported to a Senate subcommittee that 1,475 unaccompanied migrant children are unaccounted for.
Snopes→ Vibrant Bra Promotion
A purported Vibrant Body Company bra promotion has been linked to rumors of a human trafficking scheme.
Snopes→ Viral Photographs Show Libyan Slave Trade?
An emotive Facebook post about the slave trade in Libya used photographs that were either unrelated to the slave trade or whose sources are unknown.