The Truth About Minnesota, Wisconsin Kwik Trip Abduction Alert

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While browsing Facebook, I came upon a concerning post advising women to be cautious while shopping at Kwik Trip. The post, copied from someone else, raised the alarm about abduction attempts at Kwik Trip stores in cities in Minnesota and Wisconsin including Andover, Anoka, St. Francis, Eau Claire, and Menomonie.

Social Media Abduction Alert at Minnesota, Wisconsin Kwik Trips

The social media post warns women to be on the lookout for an "Arab woman" who claims to need help pumping her gas. It says:

All women, especially in Wisconsin, listen up:
ALERT!!!! 🚨⚠️
ABDUCTIONS TAKING PLACE AT KWIK TRIPS!!!
Usually near highways. It's an Arab woman claiming to need help pumping and has a van or vehicle with tinted windows. When the person (normally a woman of ANY age) gets close to the vehicle, someone inside the vehicle jumps out and grabs the female, and they drive off. Please pass this on and keep everyone informed. A gal my aunt knows was lucky enough to get away. They even do this to the elderly. No one is safe. There's been several reports in Andover, Anoka, and now St Francis
It's happening in Eau Claire as well as Menomonie too

Kwik Trip is based in La Crosse and has locations throughout Wisconsin, Minnesota, Michigan, and Kwik Star stores in Illinois, Iowa, and South Dakota.

Screenshot of the post that has been circulating:

Facebook

After reading this, I was concerned and went to my news team to see if they were aware of any such incidents. They weren't.

I then turned to Google to verify the claims but couldn't find any news reports on abductions at Kwik Trips. However, I did come across an article on Snopes. Check out their findings below:

Did Abductions Occur at Kwik Trip Stores Involving an 'Arab Woman' and a Van with Tinted Windows?

James Rabe, Townsquare Media Rochester, Preston

Snopes says this rumor is false.

Not only did we uncover no evidence of such crimes ever occurring as described, but we also found a legitimate report of a crime at a Kwik Trip location that occurred days before the oldest known posting of the rumor. That crime involved a suspect who appeared to be a white man, not an "Arab woman." It's possible that that crime may have inspired a dubious user to create the racially charged claim about the "Arab woman," the accomplice and the van.