Traffickers at the Shopping Mall
"When I was 17, I had a summer job working at a store in the local shopping mall. While on my lunch break in the food court, a nice looking, well-dressed man in his mid-20's approached me and said "Hi." We talked. He flirted with me. I felt a little thrilled. He asked about my name badge, and I told him where I worked. About an hour later, he came into my store. He had another man with him, who was also well dressed. They were speaking to each other in another language that I did not recognize. They chatted with me and asked some questions about my life and my income. The two men were very friendly and charming. Then they said that they had a job offer for me. They told me they managed high-end gambling events in Las Vegas. One was coming up, and they were looking for a few young ladies to work the event. I asked what that meant. They said just dress-up, look pretty, smile, and talk to the gamblers to add to the atmosphere. One showed me a business card but did not give it to me. The other showed me a large roll of money. They said that they would pay me one-thousand dollars for one weekend. They would pay for my room at the Bellagio, pay for my food, and give me the clothes to wear. I was told that I would not have to do anything I didn't want to do, and they promised that it would be an exciting, elegant weekend that I would never forget. But, I had to leave with them that night.
Although the offer sounded exciting, I declined. I said if they gave me their business card, I would think about it for the future. They seemed shocked that I said no and left without leaving any information. The next evening, they returned to my store, and tried to pressure me into accepting their offer. This time they were aggressive and even rude when I declined. I told an adult co-worker who called the mall security. Security asked for a description and told me to call immediately if the men returned.
The next night, one of the two men returned. I called security. As soon as the security officer arrived, the man literally ran away. I told security the whole story. He called the police. An officer called and asked me questions. He said in his professional opinion, those were human traffickers, and they had been targeting me."
Although the offer sounded exciting, I declined. I said if they gave me their business card, I would think about it for the future. They seemed shocked that I said no and left without leaving any information. The next evening, they returned to my store, and tried to pressure me into accepting their offer. This time they were aggressive and even rude when I declined. I told an adult co-worker who called the mall security. Security asked for a description and told me to call immediately if the men returned.
The next night, one of the two men returned. I called security. As soon as the security officer arrived, the man literally ran away. I told security the whole story. He called the police. An officer called and asked me questions. He said in his professional opinion, those were human traffickers, and they had been targeting me."
Anonymous