The wire on the car door – A viral urban legend

Kidnapping scams exist, there is no doubt about that. However, a particular method has been described as a method for years, although there is only a single original video in which this was first claimed: A wire on the car door discovered on someone else's car is said to be a ploy by kidnappers. However, there is no confirmation of this scam anywhere.

The claim

The claim about this kidnapper scam has been circulating since 2018, back then with cable ties on the car doors. Since January 2021, wires have been said to be on the cars of potential kidnapping victims, as claimed in a widely circulated TikTok video, which is currently being used as the basis for an article HERE

This TikTok video is:

@ice.lemon.water We thought it was a joke at first until we found the second one 😳 #fyp #foryou #foryoupage #scary #viral #trending #BoseAllOut ♬ Scary – Background Sounds

The video shows two cars with cables attached to their door handles. A female computer voice says: “ WTF is this a joke? Hopefully no one gets kidnapped. We found a second one. I'm getting out of here. “

Several users also explain in the comments how the scam is supposed to work: Accordingly, the wire is intended as a distraction. While the owner of the car is trying to remove the wire, kidnappers could sneak up and kidnap the person or, optionally, the children.

A closer look at the “wire”

The user discovered at least one car in the parking lot of a shopping center with what appeared to be a wire attached to the door and concluded that it was a kidnapping scam, which there were already rumors about in 2018 (don't worry, we'll get to that).

But let's just take a closer look at the wire in the video:

___STEADY_PAYWALL___

The creator of the video only zooms in on the supposed “wire” very briefly. However, when enlarged it is very clear that it is just shiny gift ribbon, which doesn't even need to be unraveled and can be removed from the handle with a firm tug.

It is more likely that a balloon was attached to it, as is done, for example, with cars that drive behind the bride and groom's car at a wedding.

The claim already existed in 2018, but the police denied it

Now we already know that the “wires” on car doors shown in the recently re-shared TikTok video are actually gift ribbons, so they wouldn’t even serve the supposed purpose of distracting the owner of the car long enough. But the creator of the video did not make up the claim, as it has been circulating since at least 2018.

Back then, it wasn't wires, but rather cable ties that kidnappers allegedly attached to cars.

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However, the police in San Angelo did not confirm that this scam existed, as claimed, but contradicted the claim just a day later (archived HERE ):

“The San Angelo Police Department has not received any reports of human trafficking, kidnapping or attempted kidnapping related to human trafficking, nor have we received any reports of black zip ties being used as a means of marking a target of any type of crime.

Additionally, our administration has contacted the Angelo State University Police Department and their administration has confirmed that they have not received any such reports.

In investigating the reported posts, the Department confirmed that one of the women who made the original posts was not, in fact, the owner of the vehicle and that the woman had seen the claim online and copied and pasted the photo and warning, to warn women about human trafficking.”

Source: San Angelo Police

Even then, there were very few photos of cable ties on car doors or rearview mirrors circulating, but they were copied by many users.

Does the claim even make sense?

At first glance it seems logical: the owner of a car sees a wire on the car door and first removes it. During this time he is distracted and a kidnapper can sneak up unnoticed. So clear, right?

But why would a kidnapper tie a very easy-to-remove gift ribbon to the door instead of the wire? Or, conversely, a cable tie that can only be removed with scissors or a sharp knife, which no one usually carries with them?

The wire thing would still make sense if the wires were attached in the evening, for example, when the car is in a lonely area and the owner of the car then has to fiddle with the wire alone and unseen - if at all, because there is a chance It's also great that the wire isn't seen at all or the owner of the car doesn't care - then the kidnappers have waited for hours in vain. And then in the middle of the day in the parking lot of a shopping center?

So how to twist and turn it: The method is theoretically possible, but also pretty nonsensical.

Conclusion

So the bottom line is that we have very few videos and photos that show a wire (which is actually a gift ribbon) or a cable tie on a car door or a rearview mirror. In addition, there are no police reports or warnings that this scam was ever carried out by kidnappers or human traffickers.

The claim can therefore be classified as an urban legend.

Also interesting: “The plastic bottle trick!
If you see bottles jammed in cars, you should run away!” – Is this really a nasty thief scam that you should take action on as quickly as possible? Well, it's not that bad! – The scare tactics with the bottle jammed in the wheel arch!