The whole thing begins when local law enforcement is informed that a child has been abducted or has been missing. They verify that the incident meets AMBER Alert criteria. If it does, they will issue an actual AMBER Alert and provides the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) with relevant information to include in the outgoing Alert.
NCMEC formats the AMBER Alert message, sends it electronically to Syniverse who, in turn, passes it onto Wireless carriers. Wireless carriers (like AT&T, Alltel, T-Mobile, Cricket and others) have stepped up and volunteered to send AMBER Alert messages, as text messages, to subscribers like you.
How to Sign Up to Receive Wireless AMBER Alerts:
The best, quickest and easiest way to sign up and receive Wireless AMBER Alerts is to visit this link www.WirelessamberAlerts.org (you’ll see a similar solicitation on the side of the van, pictured just to your right). Once you’re there, just enter your Wireless/ cell phone number. Take a few minutes to skim the Terms and Conditions of the Wireless AMBER Alerts program, press “Accept,” then press “Complete Subscription.”
What’s most important is that you’ll want to enter the zip code for your home or place of employment, because that enables them to send AMBER Alerts for children missing in your specific area. You can enter up to 5 zip codes if you travel extensively, by the way. Oh, you’ll also need to either come up with a password, or have the website assign one for you.
Afterwards, you’ll be officially enrolled in the AMBER Alerts initiative! The Wireless AMBER Alerts service is free, and there is no charge to enroll. You only receive AMBER Alerts for your given area, and if you haven’t already, you might want to think about it this way — you might just help save a life!
How Do I Sign Up, Just Using my Cell Phone?
First, you’ll just text the word AMBER, followed by a space and your five-digit zip code, to 26237. You’ll get a reply confirming your enrollment. Then, if you decide to unsubscribe, just send STOP to 26237.
Again, the Wireless AMBER Alerts service is free, and there is no charge whatsoever to enroll.
Most, not all, wireless customers can register by cell phone.
How Wireless AMBER Alerts Affect Your Phone:
After signing up to receive Wireless AMBER Alerts, you’ll receive a text message welcoming you to the program. Wireless AMBER Alerts come through as text messages, and will appear on your wireless device/ phone the same way as any other text message. Of course, you’ll receive a text message notifying you when a given AMBER Alert is canceled (could either be because the child was found, or for some other reason). Note that one of the most important things you can do to protect your child from abduction is to get the official AMBER Alert Child ID Kit.
I’m not suggesting that your child will be one of 780,000 children each year who are reported abducted, missing or lost. However, in the event the AmberAlert.com Child ID Kit is needed, you’ll have everything you need to help law enforcement get on-task as soon as possible. The kits run about $30, and the kids they protect are priceless.
In the end, rest assured — because you’ll only receive AMBER Alerts from their organization, and only those alerts that apply to missing children in the area in which you enroll.
