Parents of a 12-year-old boy have alerted the police after a suspicious phone call from a man who claimed to know his name and where he went to school.

The man contacted the mother of the Towers School pupil this week demanding to speak with the boy “urgently” and claiming to be the boy’s friend.

But the boy told his mum that he did not recognise the man's voice. His parents didn’t recognise him either.

They reported it to the school and to the police, worried that it could have been something sinister.

The father says his son has been left feeling shaken up because of the phone call as he was confused about why someone would claim to be looking for him.

The father told KentOnline's sister paper the Kentish Express: “The man called up, he knew my son’s name and wanted to speak to him, but his mother explained that he was not at home.

“It is quite worrying, and if it is someone targeting local people we wanted to make sure that this is known about" - Father

“The man said he needed to speak with our son and said it was urgent. The man spoke with our son, but our son said he didn’t know who the person was.

“It is quite worrying, and if it is someone targeting local people we wanted to make sure that this is known about.

“We phoned the police, and I’ve talked with my son on a one-to-one basis about safety to try to prevent things in real life situations and to be vigilant for anything suspicious.

“His mother has put a notice on Facebook as well to warn other parents about the incident so they are aware.

“We’re mindful that we don’t want to create a panic. Maybe it was a prank, a very bad one, but it could also be something worrying.

“The voice didn’t sound like he was from this country. If it isn’t a prank, we might not have been the only family that they are targeting.”

Towers School and Kent Police have been contacted for a comment about the incident.