A TikTok star has shared the distressing moment her wallet was ‘held hostage’ by a stranger until she agreed to go on a date with him.
Tabitha Swatosh, a model from the US, was on holiday in Hawaii when her purse, which contained her credit card, ID and passport, was found on the ground by a local.
In a viral video that has been viewed over 20 million times, the 21-year-old explained she was forced to plead with the thief to give her wallet back after he messaged her a photo of the purse and said: “Oh I didn’t say I was giving it back.”
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“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,” she said through tears.
“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 influencer also attempted to bargain with the stranger, who proceeded to ask her on a date after he saw her at the beach.
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His text message read: “You are the dark headed girl with the yellow swimsuit eh? You are cute, go on a date with me.”
“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,” said Swatosh.
The man then proceeded to hold onto the wallet for five days while the influencer continued to search the island she was staying at.
At one point, the stranger agreed to meet Swatosh at a nearby McDonalds where he said he would hand over the wallet.
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However, after 25 minutes of waiting, he didn’t show up, ignored her messages and subsequently blocked her phone number hours later.
She said: “Remember you said we can meet at McDonalds, and I said what time and you said 7pm and I went there at 7pm and you weren’t there.”
As she began to lose hope, Swatosh received a call from the hotel reception on the final morning of her trip to tell her that her wallet had been left at the front desk.
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After being led to the security office, she was handed her wallet by a staff member who said: “Yes, a young man gave us this wallet, he will return later.”
“I’m literally going to throw up, are you kidding, oh my gosh,” she said while also revealing all her belongings were safely still included in the wallet.
“For those who don’t know, I have been in Hawaii for the past week and some man found my wallet … and he’s been messing with me and he wouldn’t give it back. It’s been an emotional journey.”
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As well as her wallet being returned, Swatosh received a handwritten note from the man who admitted he was ‘messing’ with her and wished her a pleasant trip.
The note read: “Hope you had a fun trip kid, I enjoyed messing with you, always a good time messing with the tourists. You always have a local friend here in Hawaii, Mahalo.”
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Lisa McLoughlin