11-year-old girl safe after demanding stranger tell her 'code word'

[sl8]

From https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/nation-now/11-year-old-girl-safe-after-demanding-stranger-tell-her-code-word/465-3ff0b990-cc83-4757-b386-2a1366618188

11-year-old girl safe after demanding stranger tell her 'code word'

Author: Dani Coble, Arizona Republic
Published: 11:12 AM EST November 9, 2018
Updated: 11:33 AM EST November 9, 2018

An 11-year-old Arizona girl is safe after asking for a "code word" when approached by a stranger in the San Tan Valley, just outside of Phoenix, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office said.

On Wednesday, the girl and a friend were walking around 3:45 p.m. near a park when a man driving in a white SUV pulled up next to them.

The man told the girl that her brothers were in a serious accident and she needed to come with him. The girl asked for the "code word," which is a prearranged word that she and her parents had come up with in case someone else needed to pick her up.

The man did not know the code word and drove away, the sheriff's office said.

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More at link.

[leftieNanner]

1. We did this when my daughters were young

Can't remember the code word now, but they are 24 and 26 now!

We never had to use it, but if any of you DUers have small kids, I recommend it.

[AlexSFCA]

2. great idea, never thought about it

[angstlessk]

3. My sister and I were walking home from church,she was about 10 and I 8

The man had a car that had doors that open like a wing.

He claimed our parents sent him to pick us up.

My sister (the smart one) asked him what were our parents name.

He left without us!

[MontanaMama]

4. Omg. So grateful these girls are safe.

My blood runs cold thinking that the white SUV creep is still out there.

[ck4829]

5. Good that she's safe. Kind of creepy he knew she had brothers though

Maybe not some random act where the guy thought he had an opportunity?

[Jim Lane]

7. He might have been just taking a shot.

I get emails about needing to log into my Chase bank account on some pretext or other. I've never had a Chase bank account. Similarly, this guy could have figured that they might have brothers, if they did he'd seem more credible, if they didn't he'd just drive away.

[secondwind]

6. My granddaughter's code word was "Rooster"... :-D How lucky this girl was!

[flygal]

8. We had to do this with my Mother! After she almost fell for a telephone scam

She thought it was her granddaughter and almost gave them a credit card number to help her buy a plane ticket but thought to ask my brother first and they hung up. So now the grandkids have a code word she will ask. She never talks with them on the phone since they always communicate over email or messenger.