A nine-year-old Auckland girl was offered $100 to get into a stranger’s car on her way to school yesterday morning.
Police said a man approached the girl, a student at St Dominic’s Catholic Primary School in Blockhouse Bay, about 8.10am, just 30m from the school gate.
They said he was standing next to a black SUV when he offered the girl the money to get into the vehicle.
She refused and ran into her school, where she notified her teacher.
The police said the man was Pākehā, in his mid 30s, with short blonde/brown curly hair.
He was about 165cm tall, of average build and was wearing a dark T-shirt and dark shorts.
St Dominic’s principal Daniel Pepper said similar incidents appeared to be on the rise and schools often sent each other messages warning of suspicious activities.
“Today, it was money – it could be lollies [next], it could be an Xbox. Who knows?”
He said educating schools and communities about potential risks was crucial to keeping children safe.
-RNZ
