ORLANDO, Fla. — Rumors are spreading online about a human trafficking problem going on in two busy areas in Central Florida.
The two areas reported in those posts and letter were the Target parking lot in Waterford Lakes and Red Bug Lake Park in Seminole County.
The Metropolitan Bureau of Investigation said it is a hoax.
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There are no cases, tips, referrals or victims. But somehow it is being shared all over social media.
In some cases, the note reached local day cares.
MBI said this is the second year in a row in which their investigators pulled their resources to look into this rumor.
“I don’t like fear being put into people but it also doesn’t necessarily bother me all that much because Facebook, probably half of it or more, is not really necessarily true,” said Tandy Grandstaff, a parent.
The Red Bug Lake Park administration did not speak to Channel 9 on camera, but they did say they also heard about the human trafficking rumor.
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George Lawson said he takes his granddaughter to the park all the time and while he rarely believes what’s on the internet, he’s happy to know this is simply not true.
“We see police officers out here all the time and I’m the same way, I’m vigilant. My time in the military, I watch going on around here when I’m here with all of the kids,” Lawson said.
Investigators said if there was really a problem, they would send out an alert.
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