“Setting up a Mouse Trap” — Man Tries Luring Employees Outside of Store in Scary Video

A woman's recent TikTok plays out like a horror film after she documented what appeared to be a shopper's attempt at luring her out of the store.

@Groovesnob posted a series of videos detailing the scary encounter, along with the aftermath that left several users on the application believing she was nearly a kidnapping victim.

"Are we about to get kidnapped bro I'm so scared," Groove writes in a text overlay of her video. She points to a store display box and then pans the camera over to a window which shows one of the packages resting against the glass on the ground.

The TikToker commented on the shopper's suspicious behavior, pointing out that they nabbed one of the items off the shelf, just to leave it outside. She speculates that it's a trap set to lure an employee outside to bring the package back indoors.

"He just grabbed one of these and walked out. Why's it right there? Is he gonna grab me?" she says laughing and approaching the window of the store.

Upon doing so, a shadow of a man can be seen cast against a wall.

A man then enters the frame and looks directly into the camera, startling Groove who quickly ends the video.

Numerous TikTokers responded to her clip voicing their worry for the TikToker's safety, but she shortly posted a follow-up video from her house letting everyone know she was safe.

"Don't worry we called the cops and locked the door and everything. And got it all handled except ... They didn't find him. So ... That's cool. It was me and one other person in there."

She then relayed how the story managed to get stranger. Even though she phoned the police and they couldn't find the individual, he did return to the store. But this time, with cleaning items.

"And our manager came to check on us and the man actually came back but this time was with window cleaning equipment. What's that about?" she says in the clip.

After he showed up, Groove says that her store manager pursued the package creeper. "So he chased him, took a video of him chasing him."

They continued, "We found out bro's name is Brian."

You might be wondering what Brian's impetus was for taking the package and leaving it outside of the store. According to Groove, Brian was attempting to "prank" the employees inside.

"That's a crazy prank, Brian." She says into the camera. "That's a crazy — that's a crazy prank. So yeah basically I think he was trying to lure us out of the building. He circled back, we would've seen him again an hour after it happened. It was like 45 minutes after it happened. So that's crazy, I don't know, I don't know what to think."

In further clips she uploaded to her account, Groove posted the footage her boss took while chasing Brian down. In the clip, he is able to get the man's name (he says it's Brian) and he informs the man that he's going to call the police. He also tells to the individual to "Stop where you are!" but it doesn't appear to dissuade Brian, who doesn't break his stride.

Also, in accordance with Groove's story, Brian is carrying a bucket, which is presumably holding the window cleaning equipment she referred to in one of her clips.

Furthermore, she posted another clip that shows the action from her perspective. Groove walks behind her manager and records him accosting Brian for playing a "prank" on his employees.

Another person on the application said that Groove's laughing in the clip is reminiscent of "how white people get killed in movies and we deserve it."

The TikToker didn't seem to take too kindly to the comment, apologizing that her reaction to a scary situation didn't please this particular user.

If Brian was indeed setting up a trap, it appears to follow a similar methodology to other purported human trafficking attempts. Many of these set-ups follow a premise: Single a person out with a task they are preoccupied with, such as blocking their car with a shopping cart or putting something on the windshield of their car.

Oftentimes, a van or other vehicle, where traffickers hide out in, will lie in wait close by. After this a lone person, usually a young woman, is removing the zip-tied shopping cart to their door handle, or taking the item on their windshield off of their car, they will be dragged into the criminal's vehicle.

It's unclear as to whether or not Brian was attempting to kidnap Groove or any of her co-workers, but the video certainly does look suspicious.

Additionally, the fact that he returned to the store in what seems to be an attempt to act like a window cleaner, also seems suspicious.