It was a childish joke that nearly went horribly wrong.

A 13-year-old girl from Valencia decided to hold up a sign in the car while her dad was driving.

It read: "Help. I’m being kidnapped."

Without her father realizing what his daughter was doing, an off duty Spanish civil guard caught a glimpse of her message and decided to take matters into his own hands.

The officer forced the supposed kidnapper’s vehicle to stop, pointed a gun at his head and ordered him to get out with his hands on his head, regional daily La Opinión de Tenerife reported on Tuesday.

The shocked man did as he was told while assuring the officer that he was the father of the prankster.

It wasn't long before the teenage girl owned up to her joke, but the off-duty civil guard had already alerted the authorities to the incident, prompting a large deployment of police at the scene.

Once the officers had confirmed father and daughter were actually related, both were allowed to walk free.

As for the teenage troublemaker, she may not have been kidnapped but she'll more than likely be grounded for some time.