u/campFire51

New to Reddit. I posted this in another subreddit & thought it might be appropriate here.
Context: we had just moved into a new build street. When my family was moving in, there was about 3 out of 25 houses occupied (most of them were still being built when we moved in)

So here’s what happened:

I was only 7 (this was in 2009/2010in the uk) so I don’t remember exactly what I did on that day. But I vividly remember a man in a white van. It was unmarked (no company logo/business info) but there had been many vans like that coming & going in that area since it was being developed.
I remember being on my scooter going up and down the new pavement when a man shouted

“do you like Scooby doo?”

I knew not to trust strangers but it felt different when the builders had basically got to know the only child on the street.
So I said “yes”
He said “do you like teddies?”

I was obviously hyped at the thought of a free toy so I said “yes”
& I’ll never forget this moment

He asked if I was alone

He opened the back door of his van

& there sat, upright, like it was placed: a Scooby doo teddy/soft toy

He told me to go and get it
Like he told me to get in the back of his van and retrieve the perfectly positioned toy at the very back

Thinking about this now makes me sick but also very grateful to have a dad like mine
I remember I was either about to or was half inside this van when he ran round the corner and screamed at this man.

He said “what the fuck are you doing?”
“That’s my daughter”
I remember how this man’s whole vibe changed from a happy man giving toys, to a scared puppy.
He stuttered trying to explain he just wanted to give me a toy.
My dad said “if you want her to have it. I’ll go get it”
So he walked to the back of this van and got the teddy for me.

I remember when he did that, the commotion had people/workers looking over.
This isn’t a story about getting attention.

This is about my adult mind realising how planned it was.
He’d clearly done it before. He’d clearly perfected the technique. I’ll never forget the empty wood panelled van with nothing but a Scooby doo toy sat upright on the very back panel.

Whenever I hear of a missing child case from 2009 onwards involving a suspicious van it makes my stomach turn because what if he just learned to make sure the parents weren’t keeping an eye on their child? What if this was the start of a bigger thing?

I’ve tried to google missing person/attempted kidnapping cases from the uk from 2008-2011 to see if anything matches what I experienced because that was TOO PLANNED to be a first attempt?
Maybe I’m just overthinking it but my dad doesn’t like to talk about it so that makes me think I’m not overthinking??

TLDR: got lured into the back of a van with a teddy positioned perfectly at the far end, saved by my dad, looking back I now worry it was too planned out for it to be a first/last time kidnapping

Context: we had just moved into a new build street. When my family was moving in, there was about 3 out of 25 houses occupied (most of them were still being built when we moved in)

So here’s what happened:

I was only 7 (this was in 2009/2010in the uk) so I don’t remember exactly what I did on that day. But I vividly remember a man in a white van. It was unmarked (no company logo/business info) but there had been many vans like that coming & going in that area since it was being developed.
I remember being on my scooter going up and down the new pavement when a man shouted

“do you like Scooby doo?”

I knew not to trust strangers but it felt different when the builders had basically got to know the only child on the street.

So I said “yes”
He said “do you like teddies?”

I was obviously hyped at the thought of a free toy so I said “yes”
& I’ll never forget this moment

He asked if I was alone

He opened the back door of his van

& there sat, upright, like it was placed: a Scooby doo teddy/soft toy

He told me to go and get it
Like he told me to get in the back of his van and retrieve the perfectly positioned toy at the very back

Thinking about this now makes me sick but also very grateful to have a dad like mine
I remember I was either about to or was half inside this van when he ran round the corner and screamed at this man.

He said “what the fuck are you doing?”
“That’s my daughter”
I remember how this man’s whole vibe changed from a happy man giving toys, to a scared puppy.
He stuttered trying to explain he just wanted to give me a toy.
My dad said “if you want her to have it. I’ll go get it”
So he walked to the back of this van and got the teddy for me.

I remember when he did that, the commotion had people/workers looking over.
This isn’t a story about getting attention.

This is about my adult mind realising how planned it was.
He’d clearly done it before. He’d clearly perfected the technique. I’ll never forget the empty wood panelled van with nothing but a Scooby doo toy sat upright on the very back panel.

Whenever I hear of a missing child case from 2009 onwards involving a suspicious van it makes my stomach turn because what if he just learned to make sure the parents weren’t keeping an eye on their child? What if this was the start of a bigger thing?

I’ve tried to google missing person/attempted kidnapping cases from the uk from 2008-2011 to see if anything matches what I experienced because that was TOO PLANNED to be a first attempt?
Maybe I’m just overthinking it but my dad doesn’t like to talk about it so that makes me think I’m not overthinking??

TLDR: got lured into the back of a van with a teddy positioned perfectly at the far end, saved by my dad, looking back I now worry it was too planned out for it to be a first/last time kidnapping

TLDR: a man lured me into the back of his empty van with promises of a toy. My dad hadn’t heard me for a while & came at just the right time.
Context: it was 2009/2010. we had just moved into a new build street. When my family was moving in, there was about 3 out of 25 houses occupied (most of them were still being built when we moved in). Lots of vans, lots of construction workers ect.
This creepy encounter (looking back as an adult) was so thought out I’m worried it may be connected to other missing kids?? Idk
Anyway, it was in the uk. I was playing outside on my scooter when a man approached me & asked if I liked Scooby doo. I said “yes” because who doesn’t??
He asked “do you want a Scooby doo toy?”
I obviously said yes.
The creepy part is that I remember he opened the back of his van (transit white van style) & the only thing in the back was a Scooby doo teddy. It was sat upright on the farthest wall.
He said “if you want it go and get it”
I was 1 step into the back of that van when my dad ran around the corner.
Asking/screaming “wtf do you think you’re doing?”
It ended with him saying “if you want her to have the toy I’ll go and get it” which he did.
It was just so staged & thought out that I fully think this wasn’t the first/last time he did this

Context: we had just moved into a new build street. When my family was moving in, there was about 3 out of 25 houses occupied (most of them were still being built when we moved in)

So here’s what happened:

I was only 7 (this was in 2009/2010in the uk) so I don’t remember exactly what I did on that day. But I vividly remember a man in a white van. It was unmarked (no company logo/business info) but there had been many vans like that coming & going in that area since it was being developed.

I remember being on my scooter going up and down the new pavement when a man shouted

“do you like Scooby doo?”
I knew not to trust strangers, but it felt different when the builders had basically got to know the only child on the street.
So I said “yes”
He said “do you like teddies?”
I was obviously hyped at the thought of a free toy so I said “yes”
& I’ll never forget this moment
He asked if I was alone
He opened the back door of his van
& there sat, upright, like it was placed: a Scooby doo teddy/soft toy

He told me to go and get it
Like he told me to get in the back of his van and retrieve the perfectly positioned toy at the very back
Thinking about this now makes me sick but also very grateful to have a dad like mine.
I remember I was either about to or was half inside this van when he ran round the corner and screamed at this man.

He said “what the fuck are you doing?”
“That’s my daughter”

I remember how this man’s whole vibe changed from a happy man giving toys, to a scared puppy.
He stuttered trying to explain he just wanted to give me a toy.
My dad said “if you want her to have it. I’ll go get it”
So he walked to the back of this van and got the teddy for me.
I remember when he did that, the commotion had people/workers looking over.

This isn’t a story about getting attention. This is about my adult mind realising how planned it was. He’d clearly done it before. He’d clearly perfected the technique. I’ll never forget the empty wood panelled van with nothing but a Scooby doo toy sat upright on the very back panel.
Whenever I hear of a missing child case from 2009 onwards involving a suspicious van it makes my stomach turn because what if he just learned to make sure the parents weren’t keeping an eye on their child? What if this was the start of a bigger thing?
I’ve tried to google missing person/attempted kidnapping cases from the uk from 2008-2011 to see if anything matches what I experienced because that was TOO PLANNED to be a first attempt?
Maybe I’m just overthinking it but my dad doesn’t like to talk about it so that makes me think I’m not overthinking??

TLDR: got lured into the back of a van with a teddy positioned perfectly at the far end, saved by my dad, looking back I now worry it was too planned out for it to be a first/last time kidnapping