This woman had confidence, plus a pen and a scrap of paper. But what she likely thought would be at best a meet-cute or at worst a polite rejection turned into something else.
Would you have been as apprehensive about getting a phone number from a stranger?
Bold Move Backfires
In a viral video with more than 437,000 views, Ryan (@ryangetsdialed) recounts a close encounter at a coffee shop that did not end up with a love connection.
“Sitting at a coffee shop this morning, and a girl very confidently came up to me and said, ‘Need to give you this,'” he says. “And it was her number.”
Points for approaching (so few people do nowadays), but there was a problem.
“The only problem was is that she was trying to kill me. Because she wrote the number on a receipt, and I absolutely refused to touch the receipt.”
So he never got the number, and a potential meet-cute died before it ever started.
“She seemed like a chill girl,” he says. “But wasn’t meant to be.”
“Getting honeypotted with BPAs is crazy work,” he added in the caption.
Are Receipts Actually Dangerous?
Most receipts are printed on thermal paper coated with BPA (bisphenol A) or its substitute BPS (bisphenol S), both of which are endocrine-disrupting chemicals that can be absorbed through the skin just from handling them.
According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, individual thermal receipts can contain BPA at levels 250 to 1,000 times greater than the amount found in a can of food. And unlike ingestion, skin absorption bypasses the liver’s detoxification process entirely, meaning it goes straight into the bloodstream.
A 2024 study cited by BASS Medical Group found that about 80% of receipts from major U.S. retailers still contain bisphenols and that even 10 seconds of handling can exceed California’s safe-harbor threshold for chemical exposure.
BPA has been linked to hormonal disruption, fertility issues, metabolic disorders, and increased cancer risk.
And if you think “BPA-free” receipts are the solution, they often aren’t. Many just swap in BPS, which research suggests may be equally harmful and lingers longer in the body.
Cashiers and servers bear the biggest burden here, handling receipts dozens of times per shift every day. But even a single casual interaction with thermal paper transfers measurable amounts of the chemical to your skin.
Using hand sanitizer afterward actually makes it worse. Studies show it can increase BPA absorption by breaking down the skin’s protective barrier.
The safest option, per the MPCA, is to opt for e-receipts whenever possible. If you have to take a paper receipt, touch only the non-glossy back side, which contains significantly less BPA.
@ryangetsdialed Getting honeypotted with BPAs is crazy work
Commenters React
“This is why I always carry organic non gmo gluten free vegan paper with me,” a top comment read.
“I’m cracking up! I never use a receipt. I always scratch my number on his car,” a person said.
“You have activated a new Ick level that I did not know was possible. Congrats,” another wrote.
“Is this satire or are we being serious,” a commenter added.
BroBible reached out to Ryan for comment via Instagram and TikTok direct message. We’ll be sure to update this if he responds.