A WOMAN was left baffled when her checked-in suitcase was returned with a cable tie on it – and people have warned her what it could mean.
The Australian tourist had just arrived in Bali when her luggage emerged on the conveyor belt with the orange tie attached.
She shared a picture of the case via social media, to see if others could tell her why it was there.
She wrote in the Bali Bogans Facebook group: "Does anyone know what this cable tie on our bags means? Arrived last night and one bag took a bit longer and came out with this tag. I’m guessing it was inspected?"
Several people suggested that it meant her bag had been marked for a security check at the airport, which they said could also mean a fine.
One wrote: "Oh no gives me nightmares these cable ties! I got pulled up back in 2019.
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"Mine was green and they pulled me up and searched and charged me $300 AUD (£177)."
Another said: "I had a tag on mine and it got searched. I was carrying lactose-free long life milk."
The woman later replied to the picture, explaining that she had not had her bag searched at the airport, but it appears she got lucky.
Martin Engeler, from Airline Tactical Solutions, explained that the ties are indeed used to indicate to customs officials that bags might contain something they shouldn't.
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He told Yahoo News Australia that the cable ties are an upgrade on an older system.
He said: "What they used to do was mark it with a yellow crayon and put a cross on it.
"Baggage is screened before they come out of the airport. It tells customs to check that bag.
"It's for people who try to bring in stuff like electronics."
Someone else familiar with the ties replied to the original post, explaining that their friend had a method for avoiding a customs search, even after their bag had been tagged.
They said: "My friend always carries nail clippers – works great to remove unwanted tags."
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There is another way that airports will reveal which passengers they would like to be screened by security.
These are luggage mistakes passengers make with their checked-in bags.
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