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« Death Certificate Scam | Home | Important Info for Uninsured Mothers-To-Be »
Use Your Cell Phone to Help Find Missing Kids
By Misty | April 17, 2008
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), the Department of Justice, the Ad Council, and Syniverse Technologies have teamed up with several wireless providers to begin Wireless AMBER Alerts, a program which gives information about missing children to the general public via text messaging. Here’s how it works:
1. Law enforcement is notified that a child has been abducted.
2. After law enforcement verifies that the abduction meets AMBER Alert criteria, it issues an alert and contacts the NCMEC with the information.
3. The NCMEC sends the AMBER Alert message to Syniverse.
4. Syniverse sends the AMBER Alert message to wireless carriers.
5. Wireless carriers send the AMBER Alert message as a text message to subscribers.
Decide you’d like to participate? There is no charge to enroll in the AMBER Alerts initiative. However, your wireless phone must be capable of receiving text messages and your service plan must include basic message receipt capability. If you have any questions, you should contact your wireless carrier. You can sign up to receive wireless AMBER Alerts by:
1. Visiting www.wirelessamberalerts.org
2. Submitting your wireless phone number.
3. Reading the terms and conditions of the Wireless AMBER Alerts program. (If you agree, you will choose to “ACCEPT.”)
4. Pressing “Complete Subscription.”
5. Entering the ZIP code for your home or work to receive AMBER Alerts for your area. (You can enter up to five ZIP codes.)
6. Selecting a password.
Most, but not all, wireless customers can register by cell phone:
1. Text the word AMBER followed by a space and your 5-digit ZIP code to 26237.
2. You will get a reply confirming your enrollment.
3. If you wish to unsubscribe, send STOP to 26237.
How Wireless AMBER Alerts affect your phone:
1. After you’ve signed up to receive Wireless AMBER Alerts, you’ll receive a text message welcoming you to the program.
2. AMBER Alerts will appear on your wireless device in the same manner as any other text message.
3. You will receive a text message notifying you when the AMBER Alert is cancelled.
4. You will only receive AMBER alerts from the Wireless AMBER Alerts Foundation and only for the area(s) in which you enroll.
5. If you have information that could be helpful, you should call only the number that appears in the text of the AMBER Alert notice you receive. Do not call your wireless carrier and do not reply to the AMBER Alert message.
To determine if your wireless carrier participates in the Wireless AMBER Alert program, enter your ten-digit wireless phone number on the subscription page or check the listing of participating wireless carriers at http://www.wirelessfoundation.org/amber/carriers.cfm
The Wireless Foundation will not share your information with any other organization except as required to provide the Wireless AMBER Alerts service. The Foundation will not provide your information to any third-party marketing organizations. To review the Wireless AMBER Alerts web site privacy policy, go to http://www.wirelessfoundation.org/amber/privacypolicy.cfm
Topics: Cell Phones, FYI |