Cingular Wireless Customers Can Receive AMBER Alerts by Phone Tuesday May 17, 9:13 am ET ATLANTA, May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting today, Cingular Wireless customers can receive Wireless AMBER Alerts(TM) through text messages on their cell phones. Cingular and others in the wireless industry have joined with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children® (NCMEC) to distribute Alerts to consumers who request notification of an abducted child in their area. "This is yet another example of how wireless communications can improve the quality of our lives in ways both great and small," said Stan Sigman, President and CEO of Cingular Wireless. "We encourage our customers to sign up for AMBER Alerts because it's an opportunity to help the community," Sigman added. "It's one service that we hope our customers will never need to use but, if they do, it can make a profound difference. That's why Cingular will do its part to make the Wireless AMBER Alerts program successful." "We are extremely pleased that Cingular is a strong supporter of the Wireless AMBER Alerts Initiative," said Ernie Allen, President and CEO of the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children. "We applaud Cingular's commitment to public safety." Customers capable of receiving text messages can visit http://www.wirelessamberalerts.org or http://www.cingular.com/AMBERalerts to sign up to receive geographically specified Alerts for up to five zip codes. (If you enter an Atlanta zip code, for example, you will receive Alerts for the Atlanta metropolitan area.) In addition, customers can modify their subscriptions or unsubscribe at any time. If an AMBER Alert is issued, customers will receive a text message with pertinent details about the missing child and contact information for reporting a sighting. There is no cost for Cingular customers to sign up to receive AMBER Alerts, and customers will not be charged for actual AMBER Alert messages they may receive. Since 2003 Cingular has participated in the AMBER Alert program by forwarding Alerts to network technicians, as these employees are often on the road. Participating employees receive AMBER Alerts originating in their home states. Verizon Wireless Customers Can Help Find Abducted Children With Wireless AMBER Alerts Tuesday May 17, 9:00 am ET Free, National Program Uses TXT Messaging to Provide Information About Abducted Children to Wireless Devices BEDMINSTER, N.J., May 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless announced today that it will provide its customers who opt-in with free Wireless AMBER Alerts(TM), short text messages with information about abducted children. Wireless AMBER Alerts will be distributed in cooperation with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and local law enforcement agencies. The alerts will appear as text messages on a customer's wireless handset, and will include information about the abducted child and a telephone number for law enforcement for the customer to call to report any information on that child. "Mobile service plays such a constant role in people's lives, and Wireless AMBER Alerts is another example of how critical information can reach you on your wireless phone. In the case of abducted children, studies show that the first few hours can be critical to recovering the child alive, and we know many people keep their mobile phone with them 24/7," said Denny Strigl, president and CEO of Verizon Wireless. "We're very proud to provide this important service at no cost to our customers, and to extend our history of cooperation with law enforcement into another critical arena." "Nothing is quite as rewarding as finding an abducted child and reuniting them with their family," said Ernie Allen, president of NCMEC. "We thank Verizon Wireless for making available Wireless AMBER Alerts to their customers, so we can all work together to distribute Alerts to as many people as possible." Signing Up for Wireless AMBER Alerts Verizon Wireless customers with handsets capable of receiving text messages must choose to receive Wireless AMBER Alerts on those handsets. They can opt-in by going to http://www.verizonwireless.com, and choosing "send TXT Messages" from the Get It Now® drop-down menu, or by logging directly into http://www.vtext.com, Verizon Wireless' TXT Messaging site. After logging in, customers go to the Alerts page and choose the "News and Tech" category, then click on the Wireless AMBER Alert banner. They will then be prompted to enter a zip code for the state or geographical area for which they want to receive Wireless AMBER Alerts. When signing up, customers can also select times each day when they do not wish to receive Alerts. Wireless AMBER Alerts are issued by local law enforcement agencies - all 50 states have AMBER Alert programs. A full list of the AMBER Alert plans can be found on NCMEC's Web site, http://www.missingkids.com. Verizon Wireless customers may also visit http://www.wirelessamberalerts.org where they will be asked to enter their wireless phone number, and then will be automatically directed to the Alerts page on the http://www.vtext.com site. They will need to log in to the site using their mobile number and password, and follow the steps to sign up for Wireless AMBER Alerts. Delivering Wireless AMBER Alerts NCMEC, in cooperation with local law enforcement, will issue a Wireless AMBER Alert. These Alerts will be delivered in the form of a text message to those customers who have chosen to receive the Alert and will include pertinent information about the abduction. Customers are then encouraged to call the number included in the Wireless AMBER Alert or call 9-1-1 to report any information on the abducted child to the appropriate authorities.
