There’s a new trend on TikTok that is absolutely terrifying, and people are rushing to warn others about it. Supposedly, people are tying ribbon or wire around a car door handle as some sort of signifier for something bad. The entire thing started with a single video posted by user Ice.Lemon.Water. In the video, they were driving when they spotted a parked car with what looked like a ribbon tied around its door handle.
In the video, a length of rope is strung over the driver’s door handle of the stationary automobile. “WTF is this a joke someone better not get kidnapped” one user posted in the clip. “We thought it was a joke at first until we found the second one,” another user wrote in the caption.
This TikTok user spotted two suspicious ribbons tied to the door handle of a vehicle. This has been rumored to be a possible kidnapping signifier. Reece, who posts under his account AChunkyGuy, provided his own input on this alarming trend that seems to gain more popularity every year.
“What you see on that car handle right there is wire,” Reece said. “The reason people use wire is because it’ll distract you for longer, it’ll take longer to get it off.”
Wondering how a ribbon or wire on your car door handle could lead to kidnapping? Here’s the answer: potential abductors put ribbons or wires on handles, so when the owner arrives back and pulls on the door, they’ll struggle. This buys time for the kidnapper to approach while distracted and then abduct them – which may include using a weapon.
The TikTok user responded to Reece’s comment and claimed that the tie they found in the parking lot appeared to be the kind of ribbon used to tie balloons after Ice.Lemon.Water’s first video went viral.
However, Reece strongly urges Americans to heed this warning sign. If you come across a ribbon or wire on your car’s door handle, don’t go near the vehicle by yourself.
“Tactics like this are being used in the U.S. prominently,” Reece said. “People put stuff on your car to distract you for that split second so they can grab you before you get to your car.”
When Haley West noticed a water bottle left on the hood of her car, she quickly approached it to remove it. As she did so, a man who had been hiding ran up to her in an attempt to kidnap her. The man was not successful and instead hurriedly ran back into a store nearby, presumably to hide his identity.
“The best thing you can do in that situation is: Go back to wherever you were that was the most populated and grab somebody to escort you to your car,” Reece said.
“I’m very disturbed,” another user wrote.
“This happened to me,” another TikToker said. “I called my friend’s mom, who’s a cop, and it turns out there was a tracker on my car… scary.”
