If You See A $100 Bill on Your Windshield This Holidays Be Very Careful

Kyri Viehman had just finished Christmas shopping with her mother and was headed back home in St. Louis, MO, when she noticed something on her car’s windshield that she later learned posed a serious danger.

There was a $100 bill tucked under her car’s windshield wipers. “Being a dedicated listener to the Bobby Bones Show, I thought someone was ‪#‎pimpinjoy‬ for this single mom wrestling with a crabby toddler around the holidays,” she wrote on Facebook. “That’s where my naivety came into play. I pulled over to the side of the road to retrieve this miracle money that came into my life at the perfect time. The bill was placed under the wipers where you had to get out of your car, walk around front, and grab it (you could not just roll down your window). I opened the bill, and it read something similar to ‘Ha you thought this was real didn’t you?'”

She went home and did some research and learned the “joke” was a scam that carjackers employ to distract a driver. Carjackers apparently place the fake money on your car’s windshield so that you would have to step out your car to retrieve it. That’s the split second they need to jump into your car and take off. I’m sure the thieves are also counting on getting whatever gift items you may have just bought in the store.

The scam was widely reported last year during the holiday season when Maryland authorities alerted shoppers to be cautious of the new ploy. Although authorities are aware that the scam is touted online as an urban legend, they wanted to warn the public as a precautionary measure. Maryland Assistant Attorney General – Consumer Protection Karen Straughn issued the warning, saying “We don’t want to scare people, but we do want you to be careful.” She added, “This is the holiday shopping time. This is when the criminals are going to come out. This is when the scam artists are coming out. They’re trying to get your money and trying to get your safety in any way they can.”

The Baltimore County Police Department did say although no one had reported the $100 scam, there were other scams to be aware of. They have seen incidents where auto thieves bump the back of someone’s car in traffic only to jump into the victim’s car and drive off with it. Other reported schemes involve scammers approaching a car owner in a parking lot, asking if they can help repair a vehicle’s “ding or dent” for a small amount of money only to do a shoddy job or extort more money from their victim.

“I never thought of something like this happening around here, much less to me,” says Kyri. “I am grateful I did not see the bill initially or my car, with my son inside, could have been taken. Someone was definitely watching over us at that moment.”

Be safe and don’t fall for this ploy and try to be aware of your surroundings when you are getting in and out of your car!

Share this warning with your friends and family!