A mother in the UK is drawing attention to what she fears is a new scam to try to drug and kidnap strangers on public transportation.
Featured Video“The scariest thing happened to me today,” @aysincilek2 said in a TikTok that’s been viewed over 3.8 million times.
She went on to share that she had taken her baby out onto public transportation when she was approached by a strange man. He handed her a “stamp” that she said actually looked more like an acid tab and said he needed her to put it on his letter for him.
When she asked for clarification, he specifically told her that he needed her to lick the stamp—something he couldn’t do, he said, because he was fasting.
AdvertisementAt that point, alarm bells started going off for @aysincilek2. She handed the item back to the man and told him she would not be doing that.
Now, she says she worries there was something on the “stamp,” like possibly the drug known as devil’s breath.
“This guy was definitely trying to drug me,” she said. “This is serious, guys. You need to be so careful when you’re out and about, because I would never, ever imagine something like that would happen to me.”
AdvertisementWhat is devil’s breath and why is it dangerous?
Devil’s breath is the nickname given to the drug scopolamine, a medicinal drug derived from plants in the nightshade family. Although it has legitimate uses, it’s also known for being misused in a variety of crimes, as it can make victims disoriented, compliant, and stop memories from being formed. It also tends to work very rapidly and often leaves a person’s system too quickly to show up on tests.
Another woman in the UK reported an incident on public transportation back in June in which she felt she was being targeted with devil’s breath. Deborah Oscar recalled a woman coming close to her waving a newspaper, and suddenly feeling like she “needed a deep sleep.”
She moved, and observed what she found to be suspicious behavior among two other passengers who were present, convincing her that there was some sort of malicious plot afoot.
AdvertisementIt seems as if there’s always some new viral warning about people randomly getting drugged or attempts at kidnapping and trafficking, many of which end up getting discredited.
But commenters on @aysincilek2’s video would clearly rather be safe than sorry. And regardless of whether this particular incident was as dire as she feared, they had some good advice to lay out.
“Stop being ‘nice’ to strange men you come across in the street. Ignore them and keep walking, especially if you’re with your child,” wrote @altheahx.
Advertisement“That’s why I walk around with such a stiff face in case people think they can approach me honestly.” @wonyslayswithpassion agreed.
The TikToker also shared that she received a message from one viewer in particular who claimed to have had an eerily similar experience a year earlier. Specifically, they said they’d been approached in public by a man asking them to lick a “stamp” because he was fasting.
She immediately theorized that it was the same man who had pulled whatever this was on multiple people.
“What was on that stamp that he wanted me to lick?” she wondered.
AdvertisementHer follow-up video led to some additional words of wisdom from viewers, including @jemkathryn.
“Piece of advice that always sticks with me: if a man needs help in public, they mostly tend to go to other men,” they commented. “As a woman or young girl, especially alone, a man won’t go to you if they have a genuine need for assistance. Never think they need you to carry their stuff etc, they’d ask a man or shop worker if they needed help.”
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