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1. This woman is sharing her story in hopes of serving as a warning to others.
When Sony Nguyen (left) was out shopping at Macy's one day in Appleton, Wisconsin, she didn't notice anything out of the ordinary at first.
She was familiar with the mall and had never encountered anything unusual there before, so she was operating somewhat on autopilot.
She did her shopping and headed back out to the parking lot as she would on any other day.

2. That's when she noticed something strange. Her daughter, Savannah Nguyen, described the incident, as related to her by her mother, in a post on social media.
According to Sony, right after she got in her car, she noticed a white SUV with tinted windows slowly pulling up to the parking spot next to her.
Normally, that wouldn't seem out of the ordinary, except Sony's car was the only one in the parking lot, so there were plenty of other spaces available.

3. Savannah wrote that Sony sensed something was off, so she quickly backed out of her parking space and drove away.
As she was driving, though, she heard something rattling on the windshield.
She didn't want to stop, so she waited to investigate.
Once safely at home, she found a small plastic bag with a ring inside tucked under her windshield wiper blade.
There was a handwritten note on the bag that read, "Free gift: sterling silver ring from Kay Jewlers [sic]."

4. Everything about the bag, the ring, and the grammar was suspicious.
Sony was relieved she had trusted her instincts and left the parking lot when she did.
She showed the ring to Savannah, who had an idea about what was going on—and it's a terrifying scenario.
"This is exactly how human trafficking and abductions take place," Savannah posted online.
"They probably watched her get out of her car and placed it on her window, and waited for her to come back."

5."Who knows what would have happened if my mom had gotten out of her car to see what was under her windshield while she was still in the parking lot," she continued.
"Of course a person would be curious and want to read the writing on the bag.
But in the two seconds it takes you to grab the bag from under the windshield wiper to read what is on there, it might already be too late.
Bad things can happen in the blink of an eye."

6. The only thing that saved Sony was the fact that the suspicious van pulled up next to her while she was still inside her car, allowing her to immediately put the car in gear and drive away.
Had she climbed out of the car to retrieve the item on her windshield, she would have been vulnerable.
While these particular criminals obviously failed 'Element of Surprise 101,' you can't count on others to be as stupid.

7. Savannah encouraged everyone—especially women—to stay safe while walking to their cars.
"This happened in broad daylight to my own mom (a forty-something-year-old mother of four) in Appleton, Wisconsin, and could happen to anyone, anywhere, at any time," she explained.
"You don't think it will happen to you until it does.
ALWAYS try to travel in groups, and ALWAYS stay alert in parking lots or public places, especially at night.
...be smart, stay alert, and make it a priority to learn to defend yourself physically."

8. Sony and Savannah alerted the police about the incident.
The police investigated, but they didn't have much to go on.
Once Sony left the parking lot, there was nothing to keep the criminals in the area, and she didn't get a license plate number to help officers find the perpetrators.
Although Savannah was concerned it was an abduction attempt, the police felt it was more likely "the person responsible had ill intents such as stealing a wallet or purse, stealing recently purchased items, stealing the vehicle itself, or other crimes."

9.This story is very similar to another windshield scam that's been circulating for years.
The legend has gone viral several times since it first surfaced around 2004, according to Snopes.
com, and it involves carjackers. The rumor started when a citizen forwarded an email he had received about the scenario to a police officer friend, who accidentally forwarded it to his kids from his work email account, leading people to believe it was an official announcement from the police.
His kids then forwarded it, and it soon went viral, despite the fact that police officers in several cities where the rumor surfaced denied having encountered any witnesses to the crime.

10. Here's how the carjacking scam works. You're at the mall doing your holiday shopping, and when you come out to your car, you find a $100 bill on the windshield.
Whaaaat? This is awesome! You're rich! But wait a minute...
don't get excited just yet. Obviously, your first instinct is to grab it and check to see if it's real, right?
Your rational mind is busy telling you it's fake—an advertisement designed to look like a $100 bill.
It's probably a coupon for a discount pizza or something.

11. But you can't just leave it there! What if it IS real?
What if you're the recipient of some pay-it-forward random act of kindness?
Things like that happen sometimes. You've read about it on the internet.
But hold on. Picking up that bill could be a huge mistake.
While there's a slim (very, very slim) chance you've been gifted $100 for no reason whatsoever, it is much more likely that someone put that tempting bait on your car for a reason.

12. The individuals who put the $100 bill on the windshield wait patiently within sight of the car.
When the unsuspecting victims, elated to find free money, reach for the bill, the criminals carjack the vehicle!
The chances that you've tossed your belongings onto the passenger seat and even put your key in the ignition before noticing the bill are pretty high.
And you have to get out of your car to grab that bill.
The criminals know these things.

13. The criminals also know you're going to leave the car door open while you retrieve the bill—because you're planning to get right back in.
And that's what they're waiting for. Your car is open, your keys are in it, there's a good chance your purse is on the passenger seat (if you carry a purse), and your door is standing open.
And you? You're not paying any attention because there's a $100 bill on your windshield!
All they have to do is jump in, shut the door, and drive away while you're distracted.

14. And keep in mind that once criminals have your car, your phone, and your purse, they have a ton of personal information about you.
Your drivers license, car registration paperwork, and insurance card probably all have your name and your address on them.
If they have your car keys, there's a good chance they have your house keys as well.
With your house keys and your address, they have access to the rest of your belongings.
If they can gather enough personal information from the contents of your car and your house, they're also set up to steal your identity.

15. So, what should you do if you see something unusual on your windshield?
It can be hard to recognize a scam before it's happening.
Here's the first thing you should do if you have a suspicion you're the target of a con.
Grab your things, get out of the car, shut the door, and lock it.
Then go back inside and alert the police or security.
Don't stop to examine the item or look around for the attacker.
Get safely inside and let authorities know your location.

16. It's tempting to think that you can just grab the item and hop in your car before the attacker can strike.
Pro tip: The bill is rarely real. It's usually counterfeit.
A fake bill is not worth risking your property or your safety!
No amount of money is worth a confrontation with a car-jacking thief.
It can't be stressed enough: Your safety is more important than your bank account balance.
Never assume you can outwit or overpower a criminal.

17. Criminals target people in parking lots because those people are usually distracted—thinking about where they've been or where they're going—and rarely alert to their surroundings.
After all, we spend so much time walking to and from our cars in parking lots, they feel like familiar, safe places.
Parking lots also contain lots of hiding places for criminals to lie in wait, and although there may be many cars around, there are rarely a lot of people in the vicinity.
That's exactly what makes parking lots excellent locations for criminals to seek out victims.

18. Regardless of how true the carjacking stories are, police are warning people to stay safe.
Sony's experience was definitely real, and the only difference was that it was a ring she found rather than a $100 bill.
Always park in highly visible, well-lit areas of the lot, preferably where you can see surveillance cameras.
As you return to your vehicle, have your keys in your hand before you reach it and stay alert for anything that seems suspicious.
If you do see something that seems questionable, walk back inside.