James Franco Tries to Seduce Teenage Girl on Instagram: Real or Hoax?

James Franco tried to seduce a Scottish teenager in a series of flirty Instagram messages before learning she was only 17, a new report alleges.

According to the Mirror (UK), the blonde teenager ran into the star in New York on a birthday trip with her mother, posting a short video of their meeting.

Some time later, the pair begun to message on Instagram.

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You be the judge.

Screen shots of the exchange have now surfaced online, with images purportedly from the 35-year-old actor's verified account on the social network.

In them, he asks her where she's from, how long she's in New York, who she's with, where she's staying, and whether or not she has a boyfriend.

The teen explains her trip to New York was a gift for her 18th birthday, in a few days. He responds, 'You're 18?' before asking for a phone number.

'You're single? Where's your hotel? Should I rent a room?'

When the schoolgirl asks for proof that he's who he says he is, a photo of James waving appears, followed by 'Yes or no? Tomorrow or Thursday.'

After the girl made James take another picture of himself holding a piece of paper with her name on it, he seems to get cold feet about the meetup.

Learning her 18th birthday is in MAY, not days away, may have put the kibosh on this potential hookup ... which might actually have been legitimate.

After the alleged, bizarre attempt at online courtship went viral, Franco said that he is not into underage girls and posted this classic Tweet ...

What do you think? Did James just get caught hollering at a girl half his age? And if so, are you actually surprised? Share your comments below ...

UPDATE: Was this all a hoax to promote his new movie? Follow the link and decide for yourself, but it's starting to look that way. Classic Franco.