Human Trafficking TikTok Hoax

About

Human Trafficking TikTok Hoax refers a rumor that sex traffickers attach zip ties to car windows to distracted a female target. The rumor first spread online in October 2018 and was debunked by the San Angelo police in a statement^[1] saying they weren't aware of the tactic. The rumor resurfaced on TikTok in July 2019 due to a popular video in which one users explains the rumored zip tie maneuver.

Origin

On July 28th, 2019, TikTok user @ohokaygirl posted a video in which she shares a Human trafficking tactic she heard from her mother which gained over 700,000 likes in two days.^[5] On July 30th, Twitter user @TaylorLorenz shared the TikTok video that had since been deleted saying, "TikTok is being used to spread a completely fake internet hoax about zip ties on cars and human trafficking. These vids have hundreds of thousands of views" (shown below). The tweet gained over 40 likes in a day.

Precursor

In October 2018, rumors regarding zip ties being used as an indication of a targeted female was beginning to spread on Facebook. On October 16, 2018 various news outlets like radio stations (shown below) shared verification from the San Angelo Police Department^[2] that the information was just a rumor.

Spread

On July 30th, 2019, Twitter user @TaylorLorenz^[3] went on to post a screenshot of some comments posted to the original TikTok video noting that "At least most of the teens on TikTok are smart enough to know what a dumb internet rumor looks like" (shown below, left). The next day, @babycalz,^[4] the original poster of the video, replied by saying, "Sorry but this is a very real issue in the world and my intentions were pure…please don’t make me seem like a bad person on the internet…I was only bringing an issue to light that most people skip over…" (shown below, right).

Since the TikTok post was uploaded, Snopes^[6] updated their page on the zip tie hoax to include the social media resurgence in 2019 and reiterated that there have been no official reports of the tactic being used.

Various Examples

Search Interest

External References