LOS ANGELES, CA – The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has issued a warning to the public about a scam involving individuals posing as representatives of the AMBER Alert system, attempting to collect personal information under the guise of “registering” children for protection.
In a statement shared on social media, CHP officials cautioned that the fraudsters have been contacting individuals, requesting sensitive details and even offering to meet at their homes. “This is not how the AMBER Alert system operates,” the agency clarified. “No registration is ever required.”
The AMBER Alert system, an acronym for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response, is activated exclusively by law enforcement agencies in response to reports of missing or abducted children. The alerts are designed to disseminate urgent information to the public to assist in the swift recovery of abducted children. The CHP emphasized that it is the sole agency authorized to initiate an AMBER Alert in California.
Scammers reportedly aim to exploit public trust in the widely recognized alert system to extract confidential information. Authorities underscored that legitimate AMBER Alerts do not involve any form of personal registration and urged people to remain vigilant.
“Never provide personal information or respond to calls from unknown or flagged ‘possible scam’ numbers,” the CHP advised.
In the event of contact with these fraudsters, individuals are encouraged to report the incident immediately to their local law enforcement agency. The CHP also recommends heightened caution and avoidance of sharing sensitive details with unverified sources.
This warning comes amid broader efforts to educate the public about fraudulent schemes leveraging well-known institutions and emergency systems. The CHP reiterated its commitment to ensuring public safety and protecting the integrity of critical systems like AMBER Alerts, which play a vital role in locating abducted children quickly and effectively.
