Sony Nguyen of Appleton, Wisconsin, had a disturbing experience while shopping at the local Fox River Mall.

According to her daughter Savannah, she might have come close to being the victims of kidnappers or human traffickers who used an unusual trick to distract her.

After shopping at the mall, Ms. Nguyen was approaching her car when a large white SUV with tinted windows pulled up in the space next to her. By her account, this made her uneasy because there were many other parking spaces where the car could have gone.

She drove away immediately, and heard something tapping under her windshield wiper but did not stop to find the source of the noise. At home, she finally checked her windshield and found a small plastic zip bag with a cheap ring in it.

Scrawled on the bag in ballpoint was “FREE GIFT: STERLING SILVER RING FROM KAY JEWLERS [sic].”
Savannah Nguyen believes the ring was meant as a distraction — in other words, that it was meant to catch her mother’s attention before she got into the car, and distract her from what might be happening around her.

The local Grand Chute Police Department has investigated the case, but has not found who might have planted the ring on the car or what their intentions were.

In a post on the department’s Facebook page, they said, “While we do not know the motive for placing the item on the windshield, it is possible the person responsible had ill intents such as stealing a wallet or a purse…” The police also warned shoppers to pay attention to their surroundings and be ready to speak out if they see something unusual.