On Monday in a town outside Toronto, 10-year-old girl foiled an attempted abduction by requesting a code word she had worked out with her parents.

A man and a woman were parked in a vehicle sitting in a school lot when the young girl walked by. The strange man tried to lure her into the car, saying they were there to pick her up. The girl did not recognize the couple, and when the strangers did not know the secret word, they drove off. The young girl was even smart enough to memorize part of the car's license plate.

According to Detective Dave Mason, “She asked this person what the code word was and obviously they got it wrong. She told them ‘You got the code word wrong’ and that person left.”

The girl and her family had worked out a system where if the parents ever sent someone whom the girl did not know to pick her up, they would tell that person the secret code word, which the girl would ask for. If the person knew the correct word, then the girl would know that her parents really did send him or her.

It's a familiar system, one that many families use, but reported instances of its effective usage like this one are rare. But it's good to know that such a system really can work. The young girl deserves credit for following the plan perfectly, and additional kudos for her license-plate detective work. Police are currently using that information to track down the vehicle. They have released descriptions of it, as well as of both suspects.

[CTV]

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