Laura Wallace's mother-in-law purchased a purse from the store using a gift card she'd given her. She later found a tiny folded up note inside a zipper compartment.

The note was written in Chinese. Wallace had it translated.

"It actually stated that the person who wrote that was a prisoner in China," she said. "Basically what their situation was and how they work long hours, 14 hours a day. And they don't have a lot to eat."

To be sure, the note was translated by two more Chinese-speaking people. All came up with a similar translation.

"I'm very sure that that's exactly what the note says," said Wallace.

Similar letters have been traced back to stores like Saks Fifth Avenue and K-Mart over the years. In one case, the writer was tracked down in China.

Wallace said she's sharing to see if something similar can happen here.