Polaris Project

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,…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…