Two Sanford girls who reported that a man tried to kidnap them have admitted to lying, police said Thursday.

The two 10-year-old girls, whose names were not released, reported to Sanford police on Wednesday evening that a man in a van had attempted to abduct them.

But police said Thursday in a news release that upon further questioning, the girls told police they had made up the story.

“During the follow-up investigation with the two 10-year-old females, both admitted the attempted abduction had been fabricated,” the release said.