Detectives are investigating claims a man attempted to lure a 13-year-old-boy into his car.
The teenager was approached by a man who claimed his mum had ordered him a taxi.
But rather than fall for the scam the schoolboy fled the area before reporting what had happened.
The incident was reported to Merseyside Police just before 9pm on Sunday.
The boy had been walking down Stafford Road in Southport when he was approached by a man who asked him to get into the vehicle.
The man, who police said may have been in a private hire taxi, claimed the boy's mum had booked a ride for him.
The boy refused to get in, however.
CCTV and witness enquiries are ongoing to establish the full circumstances of the incident and anyone with information is asked to contact police.
Detective Chief Inspector Gayle Rooney said: "I would like to reassure the community that we take any reports of this nature extremely seriously and enquiries are ongoing to establish exactly what happened.
“I would like to praise the actions of this boy as he was extremely sensible and did exactly the right thing under the circumstances.
"We would ask anyone who saw a male acting suspiciously in the area around 9pm to come forward.
"We are particularly interested in any mobile phone or dashcam footage which could help with our investigation.
"We would urge anyone with any information to contact us.”
*Anyone who witnessed the incident, or who saw anything suspicious that could help the investigation, is asked to contact Merseyside Police via Twitter (@MerPolCC), by calling 101 quoting reference 0836 of 09/03/20 or contacting Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111
