Social media users looking to find a celebrity to find their way into Wayfair’s child trafficking conspiracy theory found a surprise. They now believe that Tom Hanks was involved in some way because of an Instagram photo he posted in July 2016. One aspect of this theory claims that product references can be used to find photos of young girls on a Russian search engine, which is how Hanks would be linked.
The whole theory started on July 9, when a Reddit user speculated that the industrial grade cabinets, which cost thousands of dollars on the Wayfair website, were used to sell kids on the website from the popular online furniture retailer. As Wayfair said, there is no truth, but the theory snowballed and quickly made its way onto Twitter. Once there, people found other items that were too expensive, which they believed was only further evidence that Wayfair was involved in a child trafficking plan.
Another alleged system index involves the storage unit number (SKU) for certain associated items. According to Snopes, some Twitter users have claimed that if you enter “src USA” and a reference in the Russian search engine Yandex, you would see pictures of young girls. However, the same photos will appear if you type “src USA” and any random number. Other Twitter users have pointed out that if you type “src” before other countries, such as Mexico, similar photos will appear.
None of this seems to have anything to do with Hanks, the most beloved American actor who works today. However, some conspiracy theorists dug deep into Hanks’ Instagram archive and found a strange photo. On July 18, 2016, Hanks shared a photo of a glove he found lying on the floor in Red Bluff, California. “High five!” Hanks wrote in the legend. On the floor, next to the glove, you can read “SRC USA” written in chalk. The comments for the photo are filled with people trying to figure out what this has to do with Wayfair’s theory or heartbreaking that Hanks might be related to it.
Wayfair has already denied any involvement in a child trafficking project. “There is, of course, no truth to the allegations,” the company said in a statement on Friday. “The products in question are industrial quality cabinets at an exact price. Recognizing that the photos and descriptions provided by the supplier do not adequately explain the high price, we have temporarily removed the products from the site to rename them and provide a more detailed description and photos that accurately describe the product to clarify the price. “