Monthly Archives: September 2017

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Owosso Michigan Girl: Victim of Modern Slavery?

Whether you grow up in Owosso, Durand, or Lansing Michigan, can you still be a target for human trafficking? Yes! One story told by a woman named Jeannie Kennedy who joined a Genesee County Job Corps in Flint Michigan when she was 22 years old. The training program placed her in Las Vegas. She explains that on the first day of her arrival, she was immediately approached by a well-dressed and friendly man. When she notices his luxurious car and the gorgeous woman seated inside, she said that she immediately felt at ease.

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Photo Courtesy of Detroit Free Press, Jeannie Kennedy

His personality and luxury lifestyle was one way to deceive her into joining his ‘profitable business’.

As he starts talking to her, she decides to go with him. She states, “We end up at his house where there are eight or nine other women living there and they love him and he loves them, so they think. ” Then he takes her shopping at the local mall and buys her expensive clothes, jewelry, and shoes, “spending $600”. Once he pays for the items, he informs her, “now you have to pay back.”

In her situation, she was very lucky because she had the chance to escape this dangerous life after 3 days of being sexually exploited by the pimp. She realizes how fortunate she was because she says, “The average life span of a prostitute is seven years.”

Nearby in Shiawassee County, about 33 miles away from Genesee Co., police believe at least 20 or more people are involved in sex trafficking just in this small town. So yes, you can become a victim in your local township.

Did you witness suspicious criminal activity involving abuse or unwanted threats? Contact the local authorities in your city. If you are at a safe distance away, try to capture a snapshot of the incident with your cell phone or take a photo of the vehicle license plate. This can help cops locate or identify the predator or gang member.

Would you like to share your untold story that happened in the Midwest? Email Us: SkepticalWorld@gmail.com 

Reference:
Owosso Female Shares Experience
Owosso Independent Newsgroup 

 

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Modern Slavery in Michigan: Is it Possible?

Did you know Michigan is ranked # 2 in the United States for Human Trafficking as of 2017? Do you currently live in Lansing, West Michigan, Flint, or Detroit where sex traffickers are prominent? skeptical-world-michigan-state-mitten

Is 32 years old considered too old to abduct and sexual exploit? Apparently not, according to a news story shared by MLive.com earlier this year. In this situation, an older female in her 30’s was shopping at the mall with her friends when a man came up to them and claimed to work for a modeling agency and wanted them to come with him down a hallway. At this point, the woman immediately knew something was disturbing about this situation and therefore decided not to go along with him.

We often think that pimps only target underage youth between the ages of 12-17, but we can see that this is not always the case.

You need to be aware of your surroundings when you go on a walk, hang out at the bar with friends, or use social media. With the popularity of social apps in today’s technological society, social media is a free way for gang members and predators to communicate with teenage girls and young college students in hopes of recruiting them as slaves for prostitution.

Michigan Statistics and Fast Facts:
  1. Which MI cities have reported the most phone calls of trafficking activity?  Ann Arbor, Mackinac Island, Kalamazoo, Lansing, Grand Rapids, and Detroit.
  2. Michigan ranks second in the country, Nevada is number one.
  3. Did you know at least 2400 children are on the Internet for sale in West Michigan right now? Soliciting minors on websites such as Craigslist and social media (Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Tinder).
  4. Where do minors get prostituted out? At local truck stops and then sent to hotels in Ohio.
  5. Do pimps and gangs ‘pick up’ victims in public places? Yes! Where at? Super Bowl parties and events such as ArtPrize and the North American International Detroit Auto and Car Show.
  6. 1 in 5 children who runaway from home become involved in sex-trafficking
  7. How many cases have been reported of missing kids each month? At least 1000

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How do I report a child or adult who is at risk of becoming a victim? Call the Michigan Health and Human Services Department 855-444-3911, or contact the FBI Detroit Branch Office 313- 965-2323 or, email the Michigan State Police Missing Persons Clearinghouse MSP-MissingPersons@michigan.gov

Do you have a story that needs to be told about your experience here in Michigan? Email Us SkepticalWorld@gmail.com 

Reference:
MDHHS Human and Labor Trafficking
Flint News January 2017 
Northern Michigan Human Trafficking Awareness Summit
Fox 2 Detroit News
Lincoln Park Neighborhood Watch Program

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Sex Trafficking: Branding Tattoos on Her Body?

instagram-sex-trafficking-human-gang-symbol-diamondHow do human traffickers and pimps brand ownership of their ‘property‘? Many sex slaves are branded by their boss with tattoos on their body. These markings are usually in the form of a pimps’ initials, his name, the victim’s street name, gang member symbols, or a combination of any of these. What are some different types of gang-related signs portrayed on a victim’s body?

  1. King’s Crown
  2. Dollar Sign (Currency) $
  3. Money Bag
  4. Barcode
  5. Diamond
  6. Stars or Hearts

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Certain tattoos can help distinguish a victim of sex trafficking. Why is it important to educate ourselves on the exploitation of modern slavery? Because next time you’re shopping in the mall, observing odd behavior in public, or scrolling through content on social media, become aware of suspicious pictures or activity posted on the Internet.  Although there is no guarantee that these specific tattoos confirm that a victim is associated with  traffickers, it does however illustrate the need for an awareness in the United States.

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Photo Courtesy of New York Minute Mag

Have you spotted disturbing photos on social media of women marked with common gang symbols on their bodies? Report it on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter or any social media outlet where it was observed. Then take a screenshot photo and email it to local authorizes or non profit organizations who can take further action to stop these sex traffickers from solicitation. Email Us SkepticalWorld@gmail.com

Reference:
Dailymail.co.uk: Return of Slave Branding
Independent Journal Review: Crown Tattoos Forced on Females
State of Florida Department of Children and Families: Human Trafficking Screening Tool
CNN Freedom Project – YouTube Video

Further Blog Readings:
Children’s Dilated Cardiomyopathy
2 Signs that Congenital Heart Defects are found in a Pregnant Woman’s Fetus
8 Ways to Help CHD Cardiac Babies Eat, Gain Weight, and Poop

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Sex Traffickers: 2 Recruitment Methods Used on Instagram

How many human traffickers use Instagram to recruit?  There may be at least two ways that sex traffickers use recruitment methods on Instagram. The first method is recruiting young girls to abuse and exploit. By this, the pimp entices underage youth to visit his profile page. How do they do this? His account will consist of photos illustrating luxury items such as handbags or shoes, fancy clothes and expensive places to shop. Clearly this illustrates someone who is very deceptive. In another specific example, an accused criminal previously used this social media application to entice girls and young female adults by showcasing photos of his lifestyle on instagram. Traffickers will also lure the minor by directly contacting him or her through messenger on Twitter or Facebook. 

The second method may be soliciting to wealthy clients who are willing to pay to sleep with these women. In this case, the gang member may post multiple photos of ‘sexy’ females (of any race) to persuade the purchaser (his clients) to buy or ‘shop’ his property.

Below is a possible example of what a human trafficker’s profile page could look like, or that created by one of his gang members. In this example, he clearly solicits these women by stating in the description, “DM for hookup”. He may be attempting to lure rich men to visit this account in hopes of getting contacted by them via DM or Direct Message.

skeptical-world-instagram-sex-trafficking-girls-slaverySo how can we tell if the black woman in the picture below is a victim of human trafficking and slavery? We may never know for sure, however look closely and you will notice a few tattoos on her body. Specifically a large tattoo of a king’s crown marked on her chest. From published articles across news channels, we can gather that this woman has possibly been marked by her pimp to identify the fact that he owns her.

What hashtags would a pimp use in his posts? In this example, he uses the following: #rich #money #luxury #ass #sexy #boobs.

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Why are so many women on his details page dressed in military uniform? Is it possible that this pimps’ goal is to find wealthy clientèle who have a fetish for women dressed up as a soldier?

Have you found suspicious activity on someone’s Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, or Twitter? Report it immediately to local authorities or nonprofit organizations by sending them an email with a screenshot picture of the profile page. Or, you may email us SkepticalWorld@gmail.com

Reference:
VentureBeat: Lure Vulnerable Teenagers into Sex Work
DailyMail.co.uk: Suspected Sex Trafficking Using Social Media to Display Luxury Lifestyle with Louis Vuitton Bags and Lobster Dinners
Forbes: Life and Times of an Accused Human Trafficker

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How are Sex Slaves Branded by their Boss?

skeptical-world-branding-sex-slavery-trafficking-barcodeSex slaves are being branded by their pimp and sex trafficker. What is the purpose of this exploitation? To mark ownership and territory, who owns who. To remind other pimps which minors belong to which group of criminals. It allows gang members to control their women. A gang member marks the body of a young woman that he ‘owns’ because she is his ‘property’. In this case, branding can be in the form of tattoos as the pictures illustrate below.

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Courtesy of DailyMail.co.uk
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Atlantic Daily Article, Image of Former Victim Naticia Leon

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These tattoos are clearly identified across the victim’s chest, face, arm, wrist, thighs or the front and back of the neck. In some cases, the tattoo marks the man’s name or gang symbol.

For example, the trafficker labeled his property (the female girl) with a tattoo entitled, “Black’s Beauty”. Another example includes a tattoo across a female’s crotch with the abbreviation “ATM”. A third example includes the bar code sign that was branded across a woman’s wrist.  By coercing victims or threatening them to get marked, the ‘bosses’ manipulate teenagers and underage youth into marking their bodies with images, words and symbols to get what they want.

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Courtesy of CNN News

Reference:
CNN News Survivors Reclaim their Lives 
CNN News Slavery Marks on Victims
DailyMail Modern Day Slave Branding 
Sex Traffickers Recruiting and Dating Minors
Sex Traffickers on Instagram

Do you have your own personal abduction story or witnessed an account of human trafficking in Michigan or in the United States? Would you like it posted as a blog on our websiteEmail us Now: SkepticalWorld@gmail.com

Enjoy other Blog Stories:
Congenital Heart Disease and Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Newborns
8 Tips to help CHD Heart Babies Gain Weight, Absorb Food, and Poop
Pregnant? Will your Infant have a heart defect? Find out!

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Sex Traffickers Recruiting and Dating Minors?

Why are male sex traffickers ‘well-dressed’, ‘handsome’, ‘cute’, ‘thin’ or ‘good-looking’? Is this on purpose in order to entice young girls or teenagers?

So how does date night work between a predator and his or her prey? Without multiple real accounts from witnesses, we can assume that each ‘date’ operates differently. We can read second hand sources told by news coverage or non profit organizations.

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Let’s say for instance that a young woman decides to meet this ‘Joe Smith’ on this ‘date’ after their conversation via Facebook or Instagram Direct Message. When she meets up with him, they may have a ‘nice’ time at first and then what? At some point during the date, he kidnaps her. Is it possible that the trafficker’s sidekick or male or female gang member shows up to help with the kidnapping? Is the counterpart waiting around the corner to shove the victim in the car?

We can only speculate and form theories without first hand accounts. However, there are news articles, documentaries, movies, and even a TV episode from Dr Phil retelling the abduction story of a sex slave in detail. Many of them are branded with tattoos of their former pimps nickname. But what about other victims who were exploited but escaped to freedom who have chosen not to tell their story? What happened in their situation? Was it the same as everyone else or completely different? Did the trafficker use a new or different strategical method for his attack to recruit the young female?

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Courtesy of Polaris, Human Trafficking Center 2014

What is the reason for having first hand accounts told?

Yes, we sympathize with their stories, but we also get a chance to learn about tactics and strategies on how these criminals use their own form of recruitment to catch their ‘fish.’ Each trafficker probably imposes a unique or slightly different recruitment strategy. If they were all the same, then we would have caught everyone by now, right?

It’s clear that not all young victims come forward with their personal stories. Why? Perhaps they are afraid of getting caught again if they reveal their whereabouts or real name on TV or news coverage, or they may believe that their own experience was their fault, or, it’s just too difficult to talk about. Whatever the reason it’s imperative that we not only hunt down these manipulative criminals but also learn about their strategical methods and tactical ways to recruit minors.

Got an opinion that you would like to share? Help us to spread the word about the serious impact of Human Trafficking as a crime in the United States. Please contact us  SkepticalWorld@gmail.com

 

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Sex Traffickers on Instagram and Social Media?

How are male and female sex traffickers promoting themselves on Instagram? How is human trafficking used on social media? According to dailymail.co.uk, one male gang member (who was 25) used images of cash, fine dining cuisines and luxury shopping to show his rich lifestyle.

In his Instagram posts, he used words and phrases such as “I treat u like royalty” or “babygirl” and “I’m way to too young to be living like this . . . “

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What is the goal of his Instagram profile page? To attract teens and young female adults by getting their attention. Minors, especially girls, at this young age may lack confidence and self-esteem, making them the perfect target for a predator who is an expert at manipulation. Not only Instagram but Facebook is also quite popular among traffickers for recruiting girls into sex slavery.

The criminal will send a friendly Facebook message to the girl in hopes that she will agree to meet him. In this message, he tells her that she is pretty and if she’s interested in making money. At this point, he takes a chance on whether or not she will ignore his message or reply back and agree to meet somewhere. In some of the Facebook messages sent by male traffickers, you’ll notice their grammar and spelling is exceptionally poor. Whether this is done deliberately, I don’t know. Either that, or they are really bad at English. Either way, this is a red flag!

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Why? Because if you, or someone you know, receives a random Facebook message or Instagram DM (direct message) from a strange person who uses poor grammar or compliments you on your physical body, then you should be alarmed. They’re either a creepy stranger, stalker, or dangerous trafficker.

Facebook-skeptical-worldWhat should you do if this happens? Flag their profile on Facebook (or block them on instagram). Then report it to the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline 1-888-373-7888. You can also report it by filling out an online form at the following website: https://humantraffickinghotline.org/report-trafficking 

Do you have a personal story, or do you know someone that wants to share their experience? Contact us so we can spread awareness about human trafficking abuse and abduction in the United States! Our email is SkepticalWorld@gmail.com