Human trafficking is very real and very scary. One mother posted a horrifying and personal account of what she believes was an attempt of human trafficking on her Facebook page last year.
The disturbing story begins as the Longview, Texas resident was shopping and about to check out with her groceries. That's when Amanda said another customer began striking up a conversation about her baby daughter and 'how cute your daughter is."
Amanda goes on to describe the encounter, saying she became uncomfortable after the woman moved in close, holding her daughter. That's when things got weird according to Amanda.
The woman then told her daughter to "Say bye to mommy." The turn of phrase was enough to set off Amanda's alarm bells.
But it was after the couple left that Amanda noticed the man who was watching their whole encounter:
After this couple left, I was really shaken up but still noticed the man a few feet away in my peripheral vision, continuing to stand, by himself, with no groceries, in a closed check-out lane. He faced the opposite direction, but was looking over his shoulder at me; glaring would be an understatement. His eyes did not leave my every move and I confidently matched his stare to show I was aware of his presence. I loudly conversed with the cashier about their security staff and the odd couple that seemed predatory.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security defines it as “modern-day slavery and involves the use of force, fraud, or coercion to obtain some type of labor or commercial sex act.”