Tiffany Toliver was walking around Walmart when she noticed two strange men following her and her cousin. Then, a woman started following them, too.
Toliver was convinced that the people were human traffickers trying to prey on them. People have been captivated online by this Texas woman's story.
"They were not nervous that we knew they were following us -- like they just did not care," Toliver said.
Toliver's Facebook post has hundreds of shares and comments.
"You hear these horror stories about these women or these children and it could've been me," Toliver said.
Lynne Knowles, a Florida woman, posted a video that's gone viral with millions views.
"There are men posted all over parking lots, they are following women, and they are trying to grab them."
She claimed a man tried to follow her at her local grocery. In a Facebook post, The Pinellas County Sheriff's Office said, "there is no evidence to suggest the suspicious person complaints are related to human trafficking." However, the deputies encouraged people to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity.
In metro Atlanta, people have turned to social media, posting similar situations they were concerned about that allegedly happened in public places. One woman talks about an alleged frightening situation at the Mall of Georgia.
It's no secret that law enforcement has tried to combat human trafficking in metro Atlanta. To take things a step further, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms launched a new initiative with the hopes of ending human trafficking.
"The City of Atlanta is committed to ending human trafficking and are grateful for the resources provide by the Pathways to Freedom grant, which will help us achieve that goal," Mayor Bottoms said. "We look forward to working with the many stakeholders focused on this important issue to strengthen our existing systems and ensure the safety of our vulnerable populations as a continuation of Atlanta's long and strong legacy of protecting civil and human rights."
Earlier this week, the mayor welcomed a panel of service providers, advocates, and other officials to have a dialogue about labor exploitation and sexual exploitation.
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The National Trafficking Hotline said there were 276 reported cases in Georgia in 2017, which is an increase from 2016 where 255 cases were reported. In 2015, 199 cases.
City leaders said the Sept. 18 meeting marked the beginning of the city's response to anti-trafficking challenge, presented by the Pathways to Freedom grant received earlier this year.
Atlanta is one of three cities selected to participate in Pathways to Freedom. The program calls on cities to develop approaches to better prevent sex trafficking.
