'Man wiped unknown substance on me but things got more scary when I returned home'

When you're just going about your day, trying to work, the last thing you expect is to be incessantly harassed by people. But that's often the reality Ami Alex faces. The 27-year-old TikTokcreator, from Blackburn, films herself performing in various locations up and down the country – but it doesn't always come without drama.

In fact, she's been bothered by people so many times that, when a random man touched her with a mysterysubstance, she didn't really think much of it. It wasn't until she got home, posted the video on her social mediaand read comments from other women she realised it could've been something extremely sinister.

She told Mirror when she performs on the streets, she usually takes someone with her for "safety," admitting she wouldn't do a nighttime solo anymore.

• Schoolgirl, 16, forced to stand naked in corner over exam grade then stabs mum to death
• 'I colour drenched every room in our home and here's why I regret it'

"I used to do performances around clubs and cities at night, but it was always when I was with somebody. But doing it all by myself as a young woman, I probably wouldn't put myself in that situation anymore," Ami shared.

Ami also said when there are "drunk people around" and she's trying to perform, sometimes it's "not a good mix".

On her TikTok page, she often calls out bad behaviour she comes across - whether that be nasty comments, people who won't leave her alone, or strangers who think it's acceptable to make sexual remarks about her as she's a young woman.

When people used to make cruel comments to her, she shared it would affect her. "It used to bother me a lot more, because I've been doing TikTok and social media for about four to five years now," she admitted. "So when it first when I first started doing it and I was getting these wild interactions with people saying not so nice things, I used to get really emotional.

"I'd go home and I'd like cry to my mum about it, but after doing it for a while, you do develop quite a thick skin and I guess now, when it happens, my mind just jumps to the silver lining, oh, you know what, at least I can get a good video out of it, if anything."

Ami did say that "negative things" happen on videos, she does tend to get more reach, saying it's because people love to see "controversial" things happening.

But boasting almost 300,000 followers on TikTok, she's building up a flourishing music career for herself and bringing out her own original music. However, it's not been without its dramas and scary realities.

When she was out and the man wiped the substance on her, Ami admitted she wasn't concerned.

Other women flocked to her comments to let her know it could well have been Devil's Breath, so Ami was horrified, and wanted to raise awareness.

She said: "I had no idea what it was. I'd never heard of it, so as soon as I read that comment, I went into a little bit of research and, yeah, it's terrifying. I hadn't considered that, obviously, because I didn't know what it was, but looking back, I thought, well, could it have been somebody trying to, you know, subtly put something on me that was gonna, I don't know, affect me in some kind of way.

"Because you, I read in the news ages ago about these people subtly like injecting people with stuff out at clubs, and you know, reading now that people have potentially got substances that they can simply put on your skin, and that can have an effect, is just terrifying. It really is."

Ami was livestreaming on TikTok at the time, so managed to catch the interaction on camera. But when she researched Devil's Breath, she couldn't believe it.

According to the UK Addiction Treatment Centres website: "To demystify the workings of Scopolamine, we must delve into neuroscience. When introduced to the body, Scopolamine interferes with the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, which plays a pivotal role in learning and memory. When the action of acetylcholine is blocked, the hippocampus, a brain region pivotal to memory consolidation, is unable to consolidate short-term memories into long-term ones. It is this mechanism that induces amnesia, leading to significant memory gaps.

"While Scopolamine doesn’t necessarily enable the perpetrator to control the victim’s mind like a puppet master, the induced state of confusion and compliance can make the victim more susceptible to suggestion. This vulnerability, coupled with memory loss, creates a cocktail of conditions ripe for exploitation."

Symptoms may include: dry mouth, difficulty speaking, lethargy, hallucinations, rapid heartbeat and disorientation.

Ami explained in her video a common way people can accidentally ingest this is by licking stamps for someone random.

"Girls, women, anybody. If someone tries to wipe something on you, or asks you to lick a stamp for them, run far in the other direction," Ami urged in the video.

And while thankfully, Ami didn't get any negative effects from the substance the man wiped on her, she wanted to raise awareness of the fact that it could be something sinister.

She said: "My whole TikTok page is kind of based around the interactions that I do have on the streets. So even though I have some really, really nice ones and really wholesome ones, there's a lot of people with bad intentions who will approach as well."

Ami explained that sometimes people will lie in front of her busking bag so she's unable to make money, and will make inappropriate comments about her.

But for every bad interaction she has, there are some lovely people who make her day.

She shared: "The most wholesome interaction I've ever had was with a guy called Peter, with whom I've maintained a friendship. He's an older guy, and he approached me when I was busking about two years ago, and he was not having so good a time.

"His wife was seriously ill with dementia, and we did a little duet and formed this friendship, and he kept coming to town and singing with me, and it actually ended up with him getting onto TV, on the Michael McIntyre Show and doing a tribute to his wife, which was really lovely."

And if you're someone who is considering street performing, she said if people approach you and are being aggressive, the best thing to do is "ignore them".

She also claimed it's important to "tell everyone around you" what's going on through your microphone, "so that people can almost keep an eye on the situation".

"We should encourage women to be louder more often, because these people, they don't expect it, and when you are loud and you stand your ground, they don't know what to do then, and they usually go away," Ami shared.

You can stream Ami's original music on Spotify, including her newest single, 'Satisfied'.

If something like this happens to you, it's important to seek immediate medical attention. Paramedics will notify police if there is a risk to you or the person involved.