ASHEBORO, N.C. — An Asheboro woman's viral social media post is sounding the alarm about how some strangers approached her at a gas station. The issue is raising questions about whether it was a mere case of aggressive panhandling or something more sinister, like human trafficking or attempted kidnapping.
Felicia Hall said that on February 9, she stopped at the Sheetz gas station on East Dixie Drive in Asheboro to get some gas and put air in her tires around 7 p.m. As she was using the air pump, a woman got out of a car nearby and approached her saying that the man she was with had kidnapped her. The woman told Hall that she wanted her to give her a ride to her brother's house.
But when a concerned and alarmed Hall offered to call the police instead, the woman did something else which Hall said puzzled her.
"She did not want to go inside and have me call the police but I kept insisting," said Hall.
"The first red flag was that the gentleman whom she had accused of kidnapping her was within an earshot of her telling me this and he was just standing there," continued Hall.
Hall wrote on Facebook about the encounter with the odd couple. The post which has now been shared more than 2,400 times shows ways people play tricks to either get you to part with your money or much worse, kidnap you. Felicia Hall warns that people should be extra cautious and spoke to WFMY News 2 about what happened.
"She saw another gentleman whom she recognized and she walked up to him and told him to have a great night and didn't mention anything about being kidnapped. She then came back to me as I was knelt down, putting air in my tires and told me that I needed to give her a ride to her brother's home and that she would give me some money but she needed me to take her," continued Hall.
The woman's insistence that Hall should give her a ride to her brother's house raised more red flags. Hall said she told the woman she would go with her into Sheetz and help call the police, and also wait with her until the police arrived.
"Then she said, 'okay, we'll go in and call the police,' but then as soon as we call them I need a ride and I was like no that's not how this works. I immediately knew something was not right and I was extremely uncomfortable and I got out and walked around the front of my car, locked the doors and pulled out," said Hall.
After the encounter and ensuring she was safely out of sight of the couple, Hall said she called Asheboro Police and reported the incident. She also provided a description of the couple and their vehicle. Police said Hall did the right thing and followed critical safety awareness procedures that prevented her from either being extorted or taken to a different location.
"Go with your gut and get out of there. Anything that needs to be checked out, call 911," said Chief Mark Lineberry of the Asheboro Police Department.
Chief Lineberry advises to always be attentive, stay on guard at all times and be aware of what's going on in the environment around you.
"It could be someone that is trying to get your attention by coming up here (to your right) but what's going on over here to the other side of the car? So, just be aware of your surroundings and have your doors locked," he said.
Hall says her heart first felt the urge to help the woman, initially believing she was in trouble, but her head focused on her safety as she played out all the possible scenarios that could have occurred had she obliged the woman's request.
"Would I have been robbed or killed, left in the ditch somewhere brought to her home and raped killed - everything is going through your head at that moment," she said.
Law enforcement says human trafficking is a major concern in the Triad so it's helpful to keep your eyes peeled to spot anything suspicious.
They also say if a stranger or an aggressive panhandler approaches you and you feel harassed, cornered, unsafe and can't get away, draw attention to yourself by calling out for help, honking or using your panic button on your key.
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