Tens of thousands of people shared it online.
It's a lengthy post from a mom claiming she was followed in a Highlands Ranch clothing store by men she suspected of sex trafficking.
The since-deleted post was rapidly shared online, garnering more than 50,000 shares on Facebook between Saturday and Monday night when it appears to have been removed. It came with a solemn warning to parents: watch out.
"I can't say WHAT the true intentions were but I have 2 little kids and I am a young 20s, noticeably have a baby bump 7 months along. And by the weird s*** they kept throwing in the cart I'm not too shy to say this is sex trafficking behavior at its best. Please keep your kids close and secure in the store, and be aware: keep your mom senses up," the mom wrote.
As it turns out, a lot of the fear spread by this particular post isn't backed up by facts, according to investigators with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office and Ross employees.
A mom claimed three men followed her inside and outside the Ross Dress for Less on South University Boulevard on July 8.
She felt so uncomfortable she wrote a text to show a cashier something wasn't right and called 911.
She saw women and kids' clothes in the men's cart and posted on Facebook "I'm not too shy to say this is sex trafficking behavior at its best."
However, a Ross employee working that day says the whole thing was blown out of proportion.
She confirmed to 9NEWS the mom was escorted out because she was uncomfortable, but said they men were there to shop and didn't think they were doing anything inappropriate.
In the post, the mom mentioned the men were here from Egypt on business, and she questioned why they were buying kids and women's clothing.
Investigators confirm the men were there from Egypt on business, but do not believe they are involved in sex trafficking or that they did anything wrong.
No one was arrested.
This is the second time the sheriff's office debunked a similar concern shared online. Earlier this year, a mom claimed a man was trying to kidnap her kid outside the Highlands Ranch library.
The sheriff's office says that wasn't the case and the man simply moved her stroller to get to his car.
The FBI says more often than not, human traffickers are targeting high-risk victims, like runaways, or kids who come from difficult situations. It's not likely it will be a public kidnapping like what's been suggested in these posts.
Our web team also verified the post is being shared by actual people on Facebook in groups and on their pages.
It was also shared by a website called faithit.com that boasts more than 100 million visitors since it launched in 2013.
