A woman was reduced to tears after a stranger held her passport and wallet hostage until she agreed to go out on a date with him.
TikTok star Tabitha Swatosh, 21, had been on holiday in Hawaii when she misplaced her wallet, which had her passport, credit card, and ID inside.
The model was relieved when someone got in touch to let her know they had found her belongings, but it wasn't long before the situation turned sinister.
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Sharing screenshots of the text exchange in a TikTok video, Tabitha detailed how she had been forced to beg for her things back, after the anonymous texter sent her a photo of her purse and told her: "Oh I didn't say I was giving it back."
In the video, which has already been viewed over 23 million times, Tabitha made a desperate plea for her belongings.
Through tears, she said: "If you are the guy who found my wallet with my credit card, ID and passport in it on the ground in Hawaii can you please text me back?
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"I don’t know if you’re a hero or a villain because you found my wallet but you won’t give it back."
The TikToker then reveals how a stranger sent her an iMessage saying: "Hello", along with a picture with her wallet before saying: "Oh I didn't say I was giving it back."
In screenshots of their text exchange, the stranger went on to write: "You are the dark headed girl with the yellow swimsuit, eh? You are cute, go on a date with me."
At first, she replied: "Sorry but I'm not interested", but as the situation got more dire, she said: "You told me that you’d give back my credit card, wallet, ID and passport back if I went on a date with you, I’ll go on a date with you."
This clearly wasn't the response that the stranger had been hoping for, as he then left her in the dark for the next five days.
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Eventually Tabitha heard back from him and was told to meet him at a nearby McDonald's, where he would return her belongings.
But after arriving and waiting over 25 minutes, he never showed up and eventually blocked her phone number.
Some viewers suggested that the stranger had likely chickened out when Tabitha let on that she hadn't come to the McDonald's alone, sending him messages that read: "We are here."
"You said 'we' and that dude was gone", commented one follower.
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"I bet it’s because you said 'WE' are on the way" added a second.
Thankfully, though, that wasn't the end of the story for Tabitha.
In a follow-up video, the influencer revealed she had received a call from the front desk at her Hawaii hotel to let her know that someone had handed in her wallet - and not a moment too soon, with her flight home due to depart in eight hours.
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When she rushed down to the hotel lobby, she was handed her belongings and told by security that 'a young man' had given it in.
Not only did the wallet contain her passport, credit card, cash, and ID, but there was also a note from the mysterious stranger.
It read: "Hope you had a fun trip, kid. Enjoyed messing with you. Always a good time messing with the tourists... You'll always have a local friend here in Hawaii. Mahalo."
Crying tears of joy, Tabitha admitted: "That was an emotional rollercoaster for me!"
Featured Image Credit: @tabithaswatosh/TikTokTopics: Travel, Sex and Relationships, TikTok