Fears that a man in a silver car is approaching young children across Fife are unfounded, police say.
Worried parents and youngsters have been assured that officers are not investigating a series of incidents at various school gates.
They are however still appealing for help in tracing a man involved in an isolated incident in Kirkcaldy a fortnight ago.
In that case, a 15-year-old girl on her way home from school was approached by a man in his 20s who was driving a silver Mark 4 Vauxhall Astra.
The man tried to engage her in conversation as she walked along Alloway Drive in the Templehall area at around 5.30pm on August 22. The girl refused to talk to him and walked away but police said the experience had been a very frightening one for her.
Since then, rumours have been circulating that the man has appeared again at a number of locations in the region.
Posts have been springing up on Facebook from concerned mums and dads issuing warnings to other parents and children.
One post started: “Silver car man strikes again…Kennoway and St Agatha’s Primary school kids have been approached by this idiot yesterday.”
It continues urging people to ensure their children get to and from school safely and make sure they are aware of stranger danger.
People have also reported hearing about the man in north-east Fife as well as in the west of the region.’Isolated incident’However, Fife police posted an entry on its own Facebook page in response, saying: “Despite comments made on other Facebook pages, Fife Constabulary is not investigating a series of incidents involving a silver Vauxhall Astra.
“The force is investigating an isolated incident that was reported in a media release.”
A police spokesman said they acted because the initial incident had “grown arms and legs” and had “pushed panic buttons”.
“There was one incident and we are aware of it,” he said. “This story has been circulating since the schools went back, but it’s not a question of a silver Astra going around every primary school in Fife.
“Somebody started posting warnings on Facebook and we started getting reports about this Astra.”
Fife Council’s education service is also aware of the rumours but said so far no official action had been taken to curb them. However, on hearing frightened children discussing the issue, some headteachers have taken matters into their own hands.
At Tayport Primary School, headteacher John Hughes held a special assembly for pupils to reassure them the story was a rumour which had got out of hand. But he also used the occasion to reinforce the stranger danger message.
A quick search of Facebook shows the rumour is not confined to Fife, with warnings posted by parents about a man in a silver car approaching schools across the UK, from Argyll to Kent.
Police are still looking for the man involved in the Kirkcaldy incident, however, and have appealed for the public’s help.
He is described as being between 22 and 28, with short dark brown hair, yellow teeth and a pale complexion.