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A viral Facebook post shared over 2,800 times claims police in Midland, Texas, recently recovered four women and six children from a van during a human trafficking bust at a Walmart. Verdict: False There is no record of such an incident happening in Midland, Texas, last week at a local Walmart. Local authorities have debunked the claim. Fact Check: The post claims a woman told a mother with 2 small children in the line for the register that there are 2 men who have been following you and watching you since you came in the store. Police and Walmart security stopped the men in the parking lot by a van, where they found the women and children bound and duct-taped, the post goes on to claim. Midland Police Department Public Information Officer Erin Bailey told CBS7 that the posts alleging this happened at a Midland, Texas, Walmart are not accurate. She confirmed to Check Your Fact via email that there was not a bust at Walmart last week. She also told Check Your Fact that Midland Police had no human trafficking busts last week and have not had any human trafficking busts similar to this in the past. False posts such as this cause unwarranted and unnecessary anxiety within the community about the overall safety levels of the community in which they live, Bailey said. As far as the work of Midland officers, the only affect is having to answer and clarify information to concerned citizens. (RELATED: Are Human Traffickers Putting Zip Ties On Windshield Wipers To Distract Victims?) In addition, a review of local media outlets from the Midland area such as the Midland Reporter-Telegram and Yourbasin.com showed no reports to confirm any such incident had occurred recently.
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