While human trafficking is a crime that officials want residents to be on the lookout for, College Station police said some attempts at warning about the epidemic have gone too far, KAGS reported.

The police department has urged residents to fact-check viral social media posts that point to claims of human trafficking.

The department referenced a social media user saying he or she found zip ties on a car's windshield wipers. A police officer told the user that was a strategy human traffickers used to mark their potential victim, the user claimed.

But CPSD said on social media, KAGS reported, that it has “not had any kidnappings or attempted kidnappings reported. Fortunately, stranger abductions are practically unheard in College Station.”

It added, "While we don’t know for certain whether this tactic would or wouldn’t be used by a human trafficker (it’s extremely unlikely), it’s certainly possible that a would-be thief could have been attempting to use a distraction technique to create an opportunity to steal property (such as a shopping bag or a purse, especially given the time of year and the location)."

A CPSD public information officer said it would be highly unlikely for a sex trafficker to use a zip tie as a strategy to kidnap someone, KAGS reported.

“Usually, the way human trafficking works is that it’s an acquaintance, it's an at-risk individual ... or they’ve been a frequent runaway and they’re enticed somehow into human trafficking,” the officer said in the report.