Iowa officials warn of fake Amber Alert notices

The Iowa Department of Public Safety issued a warning today about a series of false AMBER Alert messages making their way through the Web the past few days.

Here's the press release from the Iowa DPS:

This week, a series of emails and text messages have circulated, claiming an AMBER Alert has been activated. You may have received a message like this:

"AMBER Alert!! A 3 year old girl was taken by a man driving a new silver truck with license plate #72B381 Monroe County, IA"

The above message is a hoax. No such AMBER Alert was ever activated in Iowa, or to the best of our knowledge, anywhere else in the United States. Iowans should be able to tell an AMBER Alert message like this is a hoax, simply by reviewing its source. If you didn't receive the information directly from a law enforcement agency or credible news organization, it likely began circulating as a prank.

Remember, true AMBER Alerts are hard to miss. The notice will be broadcast extensively through the news media. Additionally, the only way to receive a credible AMBER Alert notification via text message is if you have personally signed up for Wireless AMBER Alerts. To access this service, visit: http://www.iowaamberalert.org/

If citizens receive warnings or alerts that look suspicious, there are a number of resources at their disposal. Snopes.com is a great on-line tool Iowans can use to learn about some of those classic urban legends, myths and pranks that pop up every couple of years.

However, if you do think there is a credible threat to a child, the first thing you should do is contact your local law enforcement. Over the past few weeks, numerous reports of child enticement or attempted child abductions have been reported in central Iowa. We applaud children, parents and community leaders for reporting these incidents. Typically, two-thirds of all crime goes unreported. If citizens and law enforcement continue to work together to report and investigate these credible incidents throughout the school year and into the future, the children of Iowa will be well served.

To learn more about how you can talk to your kids about staying stafe and avoiding strangers, visit this page from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.