Parents were told to be on alert today after a man tried to abduct two 10-year-old girls and made what gardaí describe as "a suspicious approach" to another in Co Louth.
Gardaí said the man, who was in his 30s or 40s with short brown hair, glasses and an earring, spoke to the youngsters in the Cedar Wood Park area of Dundalk last night.
Gardaí said the man had asked the two girls directions to a chapel before offering them money to get into the car.
But the pair refused and walked away. The girls went home where they raised the alarm shortly after 8 p.m.
Gardaí believe the same man pulled up alongside a 12-year-old girl in another estate in Coxes Demesne. The man drove off when she was called by her brother.
The car was white and had a Northern Ireland registration plate. It was later seen in the Fatima area of the town.
Detectives are investigating whether the same man was responsible for a number of similar abduction attempts in the area over the past few weeks.
There have been several reports of a man acting suspiciously around children in Dundalk in recent weeks and officers are trying to establish whether these are linked to last night's abduction attempt.
Gardaí are appealing for information and can be contacted at 042-9335377.