With the recent arrest of Jeffrey Epstein's right-hand woman, Ghislaine Maxwell, child trafficking is top of mind for many, and as it should. Human trafficking is very real and far more common than any of us would like to think about.

Recently a post from a Maine resident went viral describing a recent trip to Hannaford in South Portland when the individual was approached in the parking lot by a man who grabbed her cart and accosted her and attempted to take her children.

Any parent's worst nightmare.

The post made the rounds in various Facebook groups and beyond. One individual found the post concerning but was also skeptical of it. This individual forwarded the story to South Portland Police who began investigating.

They tracked down the original poster, followed up with the grocery store employees, verified security camera footage, and discovered that the story was fabricated.

The individual had indeed been at the store but nothing of note occurred. Police confronted the individual about the lie and they offered no excuse.

See South Portland PD's full summary below:

It just proves once again that you can't believe everything you read on Facebook. That being said, human trafficking is real. Yes, even in our little corner of the world. Stay safe, stay alert, but don't believe everything you read.

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