One woman’s holiday — and then some — was turned upside down this week when a scammer posing as a holiday toy drive donor attacked and kidnapped her.
Erin Quinn, a volunteer for the local holiday toy drive in her southern California community, didn’t think much of it when she received a text message from an unknown number claiming to be from an old woman who wanted to donate gifts, KTLA reported.
Quinn accepted, and the swindler – who called herself Connie in messages – gave her an address to pick up the donations.
On Wednesday, when Quinn arrived at the home and began to walk up to the house, she received another message saying that someone would bring the toys out to her car.
But when Quinn got back to her vehicle, someone was already inside waiting for her – and that’s when things spiraled out of control.
A woman sitting in her backseat yanked Quinn’s hair and shocked her with a Taser, then ordered her to start driving.
About 25 minutes in, Quinn – who had been hit with the Taser around 30 times up to that point – crashed the vehicle.
The two women got out of the car and began to tussle. In fighting off her assailant, Quinn bit part of her finger off, according to KTLA.
“I kicked her as hard as I could,” Quinn told the outlet.
“She tried to put her fingers in my mouth, maybe in an attempt to rip my mouth open, and in a complete panic, I bit part of a portion of her finger off in self-defense because I didn’t know what else to do.”
Quinn said it was at that moment that she recognized her attacker – her ex-housekeeper, Olga Mendez, disguised in a blonde wig.
Quinn was only able to get away when a bystander – who she called her “hero” – rushed over to help, although “several construction workers around the area [had] witnessed what was going on, videotaped, and did nothing,” she lamented.
Quinn suffered bruises on her legs, taser burns on her head, clumps of her hair ripped out and broken nails.
Local authorities have yet to arrest any suspects – but Quinn is convinced that it was her old housekeeper, who may have been plotting to take her across the border.
“I strongly believe that her plan was to kidnap me and take me to Mexico for either ransom or sale,” Quinn explained.
“I am completely terrified. I don’t know why she would do this.”
“All I was trying to do was help with the Christmas toy drive and thought I’d be able to stop by really quick to pick up these presents before I started my workday,” Quinn said, adding that her “entire world has been turned upside down” following the terrifying ordeal.
A GoFundMe fundraiser for Quinn set up by her close friend has raised $1,890 of its $8,000 goal so far.