Florida Women Say They Were Almost Kidnapped For Human Trafficking & Warn TikTok Users

They all thought they were being paranoid. 😳

A woman telling her story about being approached by a man. Right: A woman sharing how she felt unsafe at a Florida beach.

A woman telling her story about being approached by a man. Right: A woman sharing how she felt unsafe at a Florida beach.

Florida Associate Editor

Recently, a slew of women living in or visiting Florida have posted to TikTok to share their stories about times they felt unsafe and believed they were in potential danger of being kidnapped for human trafficking.

This article contains content that may be upsetting to some of our readers.

The Sunshine State is ranked third in the nation for human trafficking, according to Voices for Florida.

One woman, Cecelia Sozack (@ceceliasozack), shared a viral video on December 29 where she recounted walking up to her apartment and seeing a strange man sitting near the communal laundry room.

He held out items on a piece of paper that were covered with tissue paper and asked her if she could send them to the L.A.P.D. She was immediately suspicious.

"The very first thing I thought of was these things could be laced or infected in some kind of drugs, maybe he's trying to traffic somebody, I have no idea," she continued. "Human trafficking is real, and I have no idea what his intentions were."

@ceceliasozak

Don’t overextend your hand in the streets 🚨 #florida #fyp #streetsmarts #staysafe

While she warned people to stay safe, a quick search on the video app showed that countless other women were sharing their own stories about a similar worry.

Creator Kenna Rylee (@kenna.rylee) uploaded her experience back in October about an encounter that happened to her when she visited Indian Rocks Beach in July.

She revealed that she and her friend noticed a black SUV following them on the street, even after they started running away, to the point where she ran to a public beach and started screaming "mom" to get anyone's attention. She said as soon as she found her actual mother, the car was gone.

@kenna.rylee

Visit TikTok to discover videos!

A Miami creator named Caryn (@_itscaryn) said back in July, she was approached by a man at a gas station who said he was selling watches and urged her to take a look into his car to see them.

She quickly refused and drove off. He was angry, followed her to the intersection and flipped her off.

While all of these creators were safe and revealed they might have just felt paranoid, it bothered them enough to share it with their audience and make sure people are aware of these types of incidents.

If you or someone you know is in trouble, the National Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888.

  • Associate Editor

    Jenna Kelley (she/her) was the Associate Editor for Florida at Narcity Media, where she oversaw all of the editorial content across the Sunshine State. She started her career in broadcast media as a television news reporter for three years. In 2020, Jenna won a Georgia Association of Broadcasters (GABBY) award for Best Online Produced Story. She's covered live concerts, reported at the Masters Tournament, and interviewed state senators during election season. Prior to working at Narcity Media, she made her way home to Florida and launched a copywriting business. Jenna received her B.A. in English with a minor in Communications at Florida State University. She has over five years of experience from print and digital media to radio and television.

Some Canadians in Mexico have been ordered to shelter in place after an outbreak of violence

The affected area includes the popular resort city of Puerto Vallarta.

Canada has issued travel advisories for 9 popular vacation destinations this fall

These government warnings could save your vacation plans. ✈️

CRA offers automatic tax filing and it could help 'put more money in your pocket'

You could be eligible for the service without even knowing it.

A meteor in Vancouver last night caused a giant fireball & sonic boom (VIDEO)

The sonic boom was strong enough to register on seismographs. ☄️

Mark Carney says Canada's support for US strikes on Iran came 'with regret'

He also said the strikes appeared "inconsistent with international law."

I grew up in Vancouver — here's what other Canadians will never understand about us

If you get these, you're officially Vancouver-verified. ✅

A dessert product sold at Costco has been recalled and you can get a full refund

Some ingredients could cause "potentially life-threatening" reactions.

Daughter of a Canadian woman killed in the Dominican bus crash still has no info on her dad

She first learned of the crash from her uncle, who was also on the bus.

BC's switch to permanent daylight saving time could cause chaos in some areas

From 10 a.m. sunrises to confusing time zone borders, here's why the move has some residents concerned.