LOUISVILLE (WHAS11) -- Misinformation spreads easily on social media and usually around Derby time, rumors about a spike in human trafficking are circulating.
But the reality of human trafficking isn't like what is shown in movies.
"The real version of human trafficking that we see on a daily or weekly basis is familial trafficking. You got the opioid epidemic, there’s a need to fund the drugs, a need to resupply to do the things they do," Sgt. Tim Stokes, with the Louisville Metro Police Department, said.
Stokes works in the Special Victims Unit and said misinformation makes their jobs harder.
"A lot of them really do kinda make me laugh cause I’m like this is not happening…this is not a real case, and we still have to follow up on it," Stokes said.
"So when I’m on my Facebook and I see a post about some sort of incident happening, is there anything I can do as a person to work through in my brain that maybe this isn’t a real account of something that happened?"
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According to Stokes, you should pause when seeing any post about human trafficking and take it “with a grain of salt.” Ask yourself if there is any evidence to it and if it seems valid.
“If there’s no reason, no validity to the thing, I chalk it up to misinformation and move on," Stokes said.
The worst thing we can do as social media users is to pass on all the wrong information.
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"I’m certainly not gonna share it, I’m not gonna post it and help this thing grow legs and get bigger," Stokes said.