The California Highway Patrol issued a stern warning to parents about a growing number of scammers using fears of child abduction to obtain sensitive information.
CHP officials say phone scammers are contacting parents posing as “Amber Alert representatives” to register them in a database in case their child goes missing or has been abducted. It is said that he is offering to do so.
Officials say the scammers ask for sensitive information and even request to meet parents at their homes.
A typical image of an Amber Alert graphic issued by the California Highway Patrol.
But law enforcement officials are urging parents not to fall for these tactics, stressing that this is how the current Amber Alert system works.
In California, the CHP is the only agency authorized to initiate an Amber Alert, and no pre-registration is required. There is no “Amber Alert Representative” and no dedicated database for “registered” children.
Authorities are urging parents to be wary and suspicious of calls from unknown numbers or calls that indicate “possible fraud.”
CHP said you should never provide personal information to these callers and if you are contacted by a scammer, you should immediately report it to your local law enforcement agency.
“Stay informed and protect yourself,” the CHP said.
The Amber Alert System was created in Texas in the 1990s in response to the kidnapping and murder of 9-year-old Amber Hagerman. Since then, all 50 states have established warning systems, and the federal government has teamed up with telecommunications and social media companies to widely broadcast the emergency in hopes of preventing further tragedies.
As of December 2024, more than 1,200 children have been safely rescued through the Amber Alert system, and 195 children have been rescued through wireless emergency warnings, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
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