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  • Fact Check: Popular 'Gas' App NOT Used By Sex Traffickers To Kidnap, Ensnare Kids

    Fact Check

    Is the fast-growing social networking app Gas being used for sex trafficking, and have children across the nation gone missing after using it? No, that's not true: The claim is a hoax and the app has not been linked to any cases of child sex trafficking, according to its creator. The claim appeared in an Instagram post from November 9,…

    • Nov 29, 2022
    • by: Lead Stories Staff
    Fact Check: Popular 'Gas' App NOT Used By Sex Traffickers To Kidnap, Ensnare Kids False Rumor
  • Fact Check: Assailants Are NOT Using Zip Ties To Target Women In Texas College Town

    Fact Check

    Are zip ties being attached to trash cans outside homes in a Texas college town to target the women who live there for assault? No, that's not true: Police in College Station, Texas, say they and other law enforcement agencies have investigated and found no credible evidence to support the claim. The claim appeared in an Instagram post on November…

    • Nov 14, 2022
    • by: Lead Stories Staff
    Fact Check: Assailants Are NOT Using Zip Ties To Target Women In Texas College Town Scarelore
  • Fact Check: 'Child Trafficking Alert' NOT Recent & NOT In US -- Man Arrested In South Africa In 2019 For Attempted Kidnapping

    Fact Check

    Does a photo show a man beaten up for "child trafficking" in 2022? No, that is misleading: The image is of a man who was arrested in South Africa in 2019 under suspicion of attempted kidnapping. There was no evidence that his plan was to traffick a victim. The post was shared without reference to where or when the incident…

    • Oct 25, 2022
    • by: Alexis Tereszcuk
    Fact Check: 'Child Trafficking Alert' NOT Recent & NOT In US -- Man Arrested In South Africa In 2019 For Attempted Kidnapping Old Case
  • Fact Check: NO Evidence That 'Marco, Polo' Game Is Used For Sex Trafficking In Stores

    Fact Check

    Has the call-and-response game "Marco, Polo" proven to be a tactic to initiate sex trafficking in stores? No, that's not true: Spokespeople from human trafficking advocacy and awareness organizations told us that there are no confirmed reports of such a scheme being used for human trafficking. The claim, which may have stemmed from a viral TikTok video published on August…

    • Sep 14, 2022
    • by: Christiana Dillard
    Fact Check: NO Evidence That 'Marco, Polo' Game Is Used For Sex Trafficking In Stores No Evidence
  • Fact Check: NO Evidence That Posters Advertising Jobs For Teenagers Are Actually Sex Trafficking Schemes

    Fact Check

    Is there evidence that posters advertising jobs for teenagers are actually sex trafficking schemes? No, that's not true: According to representatives for anti-sex trafficking organizations, such posters are not known to be tied to sex trafficking, although they have been linked to labor schemes. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on January 28, 2020. It features a…

    • Jul 29, 2021
    • by: Christiana Dillard
    Fact Check: NO Evidence That Posters Advertising Jobs For Teenagers Are Actually Sex Trafficking Schemes No Known Link
  • Fact Check: Zip Ties Are NOT Being Attached To Cars To Distract People Who Can Be Abducted By Human Traffickers

    Fact Check

    Are human traffickers putting zip ties on cars to distract the car owners and then abduct them? No, that's not true: There is no concrete evidence to substantiate these claims. Multiple police departments, fact checking sites, and nonprofits have refuted and debunked the claims. The claim appeared in a post (archived here) where it was published by the Facebook user…

    • Oct 16, 2020
    • by: Lead Stories Staff
    Fact Check: Zip Ties Are NOT Being Attached To Cars To Distract People Who Can Be Abducted By Human Traffickers No Distraction
  • Fact Check: Women And Children Are Not Being Targeted By Sex Traffickers With A $100 Bill Left On Their Car At A Mall

    Fact Check

    Are women and children being targeted by sex traffickers who leave a $100 bill on their car at a shopping mall? No, that's not true. This is an urban legend that was debunked earlier this year and has been in circulation for years. The mall mentioned in this version of the legend was Northgate Mall in Revere, Massachusetts and the…

    • Sep 22, 2020
    • by: Alexis Tereszcuk
    Fact Check: Women And Children Are Not Being Targeted By Sex Traffickers With A $100 Bill Left On Their Car At A Mall Urban Legend
  • Fact Check: Facebook Did NOT Ban Over 700 Pages Dedicated To Exposing Pedophilia

    Fact Check

    Did Facebook ban over 700 pages dedicated to exposing pedophilia? No, that's not true: The groups, pages and ads that were removed were tied to QAnon, a conspiracy theory that uses the issue of child trafficking as a recruitment tool. The claim appeared in a Facebook post (archived here) on August 21, 2020. It read: FB banned over 700 pages…

    • Aug 27, 2020
    • by: Dana Ford
    Fact Check: Facebook Did NOT Ban Over 700 Pages Dedicated To Exposing Pedophilia QAnon Groups
  • Fact Check: A Text Message Saying There's An Unclaimed Package Waiting Is NOT A Sex Trafficking Tool -- But It Is A Scam

    Fact Check

    Is a text message saying there's an unclaimed package waiting linked to sex trafficking? No, that's not true. A meme has gone viral showing a text message saying there's a package for the recipient, with the meme claiming the link in the message is really "used in sex trafficking." The link does not "track" the user but goes to scam…

    • Aug 26, 2020
    • by: Alexis Tereszcuk
    Fact Check: A Text Message Saying There's An Unclaimed Package Waiting Is NOT A Sex Trafficking Tool  -- But It Is A Scam Not A Sex Scam
  • Fact Check: Maps Of 'Human Trafficking Hot Spots' And 'China Virus Hot Spots' Do Not Have A Connection

    Fact Check

    Does a comparison of maps show there is a shocking connection between human trafficking hotpsots in the United States and coronavirus outbreaks? No, that's not true. A meme that has gone viral showing two maps of the U.S. with heavy numbers in the same area - one with "human trafficking hot spots" and another with "China Virus hot spots." There…

    • Jul 24, 2020
    • by: Alexis Tereszcuk
    Fact Check: Maps Of 'Human Trafficking Hot Spots' And 'China Virus Hot Spots' Do Not Have A Connection No Connection
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    Fact Check: Video Of 'Bikers On Their Way To Los Angeles' Shows Bikers In Los Angeles in 2022

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  • Fact Check: President Trump Did NOT Post On Truth Social That He is 'Open to reconciling with Elon' As Of June 11, 2025 Unreal 'Truth'

    Fact Check: President Trump Did NOT Post On Truth Social That He is 'Open to reconciling with Elon' As Of June 11, 2025

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Lead Stories is a fact checking website that is always looking for the latest false, misleading, deceptive or inaccurate stories, videos or images going viral on the internet.
Spotted something? Let us know!.

Lead Stories is a:

  • Verified signatory of the IFCN Code of Principles
  • Verified EFCSN member
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