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A dad claimed the appearance of zip ties on his daughter’s car could be a sign of sex trafficking – although it is unclear whether this is actually a cause for concern
A TikTok user has appealed for people to be vigilant after noticing a strange addition to his daughter’s car.
The dad has gained over 26 million views for a post that showed a zip tie attached to the vehicle.
He said: “I didn’t know what it was, I just kept cutting it off.
“This morning, when I found it, I went in there and I asked her, I said, ‘What’s the deal with the zip tie being on your back passenger handle every morning? For the past three mornings, I’ve cut it off.’
“She said, ‘Dad, I don’t know what in the world you’re talking about. I didn’t know there was a zip tie on there.’”
It is unclear if a sex trafficking gang would resort to using the method suggested in the viral TikTok clip.
This, the user said, caused some alarm that was not ‘confirmed’ until he spoke to his brother, who works in law enforcement.
“I mentioned [the zip ties] he got extremely silent, he explained.
“[He said] sex traffickers and people that basically steal vulnerable women put that on a car somewhere where it’s not easily noticeable for them… But other people who actually do the stealing know exactly what that means.”
The idea is that criminals will mark a car in some way that is known to other people who may wish to cause them harm.
“It lets them know that this person is vulnerable, they are by themselves,” he added.
The dad warned people to be vigilant in case the same thing happened to them
It is unclear if a sex trafficking gang would resort to using the method suggested
Commenters were quick to thank him for the advice, but it is not clear if the appearance of the zip tie is anything more than a strange prank.
Car expert site Automobiles Illustrated said the appearance of zip ties on the door is “probably just a harmless prank”.
Urban legends have suggested criminals put zip ties on doors so a person will attempt to remove them, making them vulnerable to attack as they do so.
Despite the idea, there do not appear to be any reports of this tactic being used by criminals to hurt people.
The University of Maryland’s Safe Center for Human Trafficking Survivors said that methods of recruitment by sex trafficking gangs tend to be focused online or through a process of grooming.
The dad warned people to be on the lookout, but that zip ties may not necessarily be used as the marker of choice by a harmful individual.
He added: “If you’ve got teenage girls that are out late at night that are driving, check their car every morning. Look for a black zip tie or anything that stands out, and immediately remove it.”
