Kidnappers and human traffickers are a plague on humanity. They flourish even in modern society, hiding in its dark, seedy underbelly, looking for victims. And however comfortable and safe we might feel, there is always the chance that one of us could be their next target.
That’s the case involving wires tied to car door handles. In fact, it has made many people unnecessarily call the police.
TikTok user @ice.lemon.water filmed themselves driving by a parked car with a string wrapped around the driver’s side door handle. The video caption said, “WTF is this a joke someone better not get kidnapped.”
This TikTok user spotted two instances of a ribbon being tied to the door handle of a vehicle. This has been rumored to symbolize a possible kidnapping. Another TikTok user named Reece, who posts under his account, AChunkyGuy, provided his own input on the alarming trend that seems to be growing more every year.
“What you see on that car handle right there is wire,” Reece claimed. “The reason people use wire is because it’ll distract you for longer, it’ll take longer to get it off.”
‘AWM’ explained the incident further:
If you’re wondering how these ribbons could possibly put someone at risk of kidnapping, allow me to explain. The person looking to do the abducting puts the ribbon or wire on the door handle of the car so the car owner will struggle to remove it when they arrive back at their vehicle. While the driver is distracted, the kidnapper can approach and abduct the person – possibly with the use of a weapon.
After the first video from Ice.Lemon.Water went viral, the TikTok user returned to respond to Reece’s comment and to claim that the tie they found in the parking lot appeared to be the type of ribbon used to tie balloons.
Nevertheless, Reece wants Americans to look out for this warning sign. If you see a ribbon or wire on your car’s door handle, you should beware and not approach the car alone.
“Tactics like this are being used in the U.S. prominently,” Reece claimed in a follow-up video. “People put stuff on your car to distract you for that split second so they can grab you before you get to your car.”
There was another video posted to TikTok by user Haley West who noticed a water bottle left on the hood of her car. When Haley went to remove the bottle, a man hurriedly approached her but did not get close enough to kidnap her. Instead, the man ran back into a store to hide his identity.
Your safety is paramount, so if you’re confused or scared, it’s best to ask for help. According to Reece, a lot of his followers are supposedly familiar with the wire tactic that kidnappers allegedly use.
It’s always a good idea to know self-defense and to be prepared if anyone does try to kidnap or mug you. However, this doesn’t mean that each and every strange thing shared on social media is a kidnapper’s attempt to bamboozle their target. Some are true, yes; others, however, are hoaxes that people come up with to get attention online or urban legends that are easy to spread in the internet age.
Keep in mind, however, that there isn’t yet any official confirmation from the police that this is a real tactic that kidnappers use.
Watch the viral TikTok video HERE.
Source: AWM
