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Are You Receiving Emergency Messages on Your Cellphone that You Never Signed Up For?

Jan. 4, 2013 2:29pm Liz Klimas

AMBER Alerts Joined Wireless Emergency Alert System on Cellphones Jan. 1

Users can only opt out of two of the three Wireless Emergency Alert categories. (Image: Shutterstock.com)

Have you recently received an emergency text message on your phone? If so, you might have wondered why you were receiving these messages when you never signed up for them in the first place. Depending on where you were, you might have also wondered how your cellphone received the appropriate local emergency alert while you were visiting Florida, when you regularly live in Ohio.

Turns out, you might be automatically signed up to receive AMBER Alerts, weather warnings and other emergency information in a text simply based on the type of phone you have.

Those in the San Antonio area a couple weeks ago, for example, might have received a wireless alert that police were on the lookout for an 11-month-old boy. The report by KXAN stated that the program sending cellphone users messages of warnings and threats was launched by the government last year. Shortly after issuing the text, the vehicle in which the child was last seen was found by authorities.

As for the text message program itself, it is run as the Wireless Emergency Alerts (WEA) system through the CTIA-The Wireless Association, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The alert system works automatically on WEA-enabled phones.

These are the types of alerts that would be sent out through the system:

Presidential Alerts – Alerts issued by the President or a designee;

Imminent Threat Alerts – Alerts that include severe man-made or natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc., where an imminent threat to life or property exists; and

AMBER Alerts – Alerts that meet the U.S. Department of Justice’s criteria to help law enforcement search for and locate an abducted child.

Although appearing like a text message, the CTIA pointed out that the information delivered without charge is a little different:

While these alerts will appear on a person’s mobile device similar to a text message, Wireless Emergency Alerts are not text messages. Instead, Wireless Emergency Alerts use a different kind of technology to ensure they are delivered immediately and are not subjected to potential congestion (or delays) on wireless networks.

The program also allows for phones in a specific area to be targeted for messages. Here’s an example from CTIA:

For example, if a Chicago resident was visiting Boston and a WEA AMBER Alert was issued in Boston, the subscriber would receive the alert. At the same time, if an alert was issued in Chicago, the subscriber would not receive it while in Boston.

Even though it sends messages based on the phone’s location, KXAN reported that it’s a one-way communication so there is no tracking of the phone by the provider or the government.

AMBER Alerts joined the WEA system as of Jan. 1, 2013. Before this time, Amber Alert messages were ones users had to opt in to receive.

Those with WEA-system enabled phones can opt out of receiving AMBER alerts or imminent threat information, but according to CTIA per the WARN Act of 1996, no one can opt out of Presidential Alerts. In order to opt out of these two on a WEA-enabled device, users need to contact their wireless provider for instructions.

Watch CTIA’s video about the Wireless Emergency Alerts system:

Featured image via Shutterstock.com.

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Comments (34)

Robert Hawk
Posted on March 23, 2013 at 6:37am
People with “smart phones” will get these messages, courtesy of the Marxist-Leninists of your local government who think that you are their servants. The government is simply hijacking your cell phone broadcast band and using it for their personal gain. There is a legal problem with being involved with these types of services. You could be sued by the criminal or even attacked by the criminal. These alerts cause great danger to the receiver because of their noise and the fact that the criminal is immediately warned of the event.
For now you can opt out of all but the “Presidential” warnings however I am sure there is a hack to eliminate even that warning… by the way? What is a Presidential warning anyway? and where is it written in the constitution that the President can use your personal communication device at his personal whim? He is the commander and chief of the US military not We the People, Let him contact the Military if he as issues. I don’t want nor need my cell service being hijacked by a government entity.
At any rate contact your cell provider and they can show you how to turn off the messages. Most phones, you simply use the options found under the messaging app and de-select the check boxes for the messages…. I abhor Marxists… especially Communists, because they are control freaks, who think for some reason, that they are the only humans who were equipped with brains.

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CellSeattle
Posted on January 8, 2013 at 2:54am
Working in wireless customer service, we came across these text alert mysteries all the time. The most memorable of all was Jamster – back in the days, you could blow up someone’s cell phone bill with other service provider charges just by putting their mobile # into a website. Fortunately, the process has been made harder to do accidentally, requiring a pin code to activate the alerts. A lot of customers got signed up for e-mail alerts on devices which weren’t compatible, resulting in messages from 500, 501, 502, etc.

Gotta love technology!

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rickroland
Posted on January 7, 2013 at 7:32am
I have heard of these “cell phones”.

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dangmc
Posted on January 6, 2013 at 8:03am
Never say never! I no longer have a cell phone, people needing to call me can still reach me on my home phone; however my inner geek led me to this with a few seconds of searching. http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=1829681
This hack evidently works on a particular class of phone but I’m sure your geek son, friend, brother-in-law et al. can find something similar to remove presidential alerts from any phone.

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Frederick_Douglass_Republican
Posted on January 5, 2013 at 9:35am
One of those alerts came across my phone a week or two back. It was a sound I never had heard the phone make. It was LOUD. The screen was all red and said Amber alert. It said check the local news. Since it told me nothing about who was being sought or why I ignored it. With Amber alerts unfortunately for all I know its an estranged parent who is trying to get their child away from a drunken drugged abusive ex and I want to look the other way.

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- OBUMAURMAMA
  Posted on January 5, 2013 at 11:14am
  Chances are it was an announcement alerting you to your proximity of a licensed Right wing gun carrier. Big Sis letting you know it was a religious, ex-military gun carrier and BEWARE of someone who would help defend you. Call 911 first and be put on hold.
  
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Tsam
Posted on January 5, 2013 at 6:20am
This is the creepiest video I’ve seen in a long time and it reeks of Cass Sunstein. Anything that automatically “enrolls” you with a barely known/unknown/difficult/time-consuming opt-out is the way the forces that be “nudge” you into behaviors they want from you.

Another feature to fear is the “it’s for the children” and “good for you/society”. That’s BS designed to avoid resistance.

Note these clowns trying to make it attractive and cool, something you WANT to enroll in.

And Congress says public can’t opt out of presidential alerts?? When? Where? Proof pls, and if so, WTF???!!

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rosecityken
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 6:01pm
And heres is my personal experience with this system…..about a week ago i get one of these alerts on my phone…it looks like no text i have ever seen before…and its warning about blizzard warning in the “portland area” standing in portland OREGON this didnt make much sense because it was raining and 45 degrees (typical oregon winter weather…well ok typical oregon weather…period) the weather warning was for portland MAINE. It didnt make a bit of sense to me at the time but now knowing that the government is involved it is self explanatory and perfectly clear how it could have been bungled that bad. need other examples of how great the government does things??? mortgage market implosion, amtrak, a health care bill designed to supposedly lower costs is raising them even before being implemented, “STIMULUS” , hurricane sandy response. raising your taxes after the president promised he would not sign anything that raised middle class taxes (payroll tax break that now expired will cost 77% of middle class households approx $1700 in HIGHER TAXES. thank you ever encroaching nanny state. thank you for treating us all like the poorest and dumbest of us all.

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- stumpy68
  Posted on January 5, 2013 at 2:58pm
  It was one heck of a storm in the northern part of the state 20+ inches
  
  Report this comment
- GodFamilyFriends
  Posted on January 6, 2013 at 9:09pm
  I received that same Portland alert, while I was in Oregon, but at least 200 miles away from Portland. I knew there was no chance of a blizzard anywhere in Oregon. I could disable all alerts, except Presidential alerts. I need to figure out how to disable obama from interupting MY phone.
  
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KevINtampa
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 4:47pm
Timely article! I just received my first amber alert will visiting Jekyll Island (where the current federal reserve system was conceived in secret in 1909). I was in Millionaires Village in Faith Chapel to be precise. First a fella there got the message. Then two minutes later my phone and 4 or 5 others chirped in.

I never accepted anything to receive EAS messages as far as I’m aware.

The ringtone was very specific even. There was a multitude of devices I saw being pulled out, but the actual tone was identical on all of our phones. Hmpff…

I wonder if Obama will start using this instead of twitter to spread his propaganda.

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- Av8tor056
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 10:01pm
  Already has. In New Mexico I keep getting text messages in Spanish from his campaign. I never signed up for it and I spent 30 minutes trying to navigate a “press 1 for.. menu to get them to quit. I still get the silly things telling me to tell my congressman to support the dream act. I just text back and tell them that New Mexico IS in the United States and to use ENGLISH.
  
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- Ralleo
  Posted on January 5, 2013 at 8:18am
  We got an Amber alert a couple weeks ago in northwest Ohio. It went off the same time as the alert on the tv and was extremely loud and annoying. Until seeing this I had no idea I was “volunteered” for this service. There was no notifications from verizon and no heads up saying “hey you’re getting emergency alerts now!” crap.
  
  I am seriously tempted to dump the cellphone now and go with just a cheap internet phone.
  
  Report this comment
JB4JS
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 4:30pm
And when you get one of those alerts from the ‘President’ or his ‘designee’ you’ll know to react/respond OPPOSITE to what you’d be told to do. After all, the President always says and does completely the OPPOSITE to what he says or says he will do! So when you get an alert telling you to “be calm,” you can be sure you should revolt.

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anothercomment
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:48pm
I noticed this flippin’ app months ago, and I was …. angry. Very Angry.
I attempted to disable the “Presidential Alert Messages”, and among the Extreme Threat, Severe Threat, and Amber Alert, the ‘prez’ was the only one I could NOT disable. The last thing I want on my cell phone is the ‘prez’.
I did not deliberately download this app, and only could have been downloaded into the unit when RIM insisted that I download ‘updates’.
Later, after I found this program, I did sign up for the local emergency message, (considering region I live in) and the only message I’ve received so far was of severe weather threat….24 hours…after the event. And it wasn’t just me, the people at the stores (always pickup extra bread and milk) were laughing about it the next day!
And the ‘special ringtone’ non-existence.

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RaydocX
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:38pm
local school confiscates phones the teachers see students using, including between classes in the halls… first offense you can get it back at the end of the day… afterwards there is a $5 ‘fine.’

seems stupid as **** to me… isn’t time between class their time? and what if there is an important message, a la these alerts or a parent with an acut issue or a school or district wide alert when the man with the ‘possible gun’ is confronted on another campus.

so long as the work is getting done… scratch that, so long as students are learning, and not interfering with the learning of others, such Draconian tactics seem overreaching to me.

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- Torey
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:47pm
  i agree with you on the part of inbetween classes is their time. but in the situation of a parent needing to get incontact with the student the parent would and should call the school rather than the student directly they are told to do that…. and in the situation a shooting occurs in the district or area the school will be notified before any alerts get sent out to phones. giving the message to the students directly could cause kids to start freaking out. same goes with the a Natural disaster alert.
  
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BeingThere
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:15pm
So every time the commie SOB sends you a message, send him one and politely tell him what you think of him and suggest that he resign.

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ArmedAndReallyPissed
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:04pm
PS,

#1 : Presidential Alerts – Alerts issued by the President or a designee;
#2 : Imminent Threat Alerts – Alerts that include severe man-made or natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, etc., where an imminent threat to life or property exists…………..
…………..Please combine these two Alerts as this so called “President” IS an imminent threat to Life and Property.
*REMEMBER BENGHAZI*

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ArmedAndReallyPissed
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:59pm
Cell Phone ? LOL. Who can afford those any more ? I’m going back to Soup Cans and String or Smoke Signals for long distance.

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marvlus
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:55pm
I received an Amber alert on Dec 27 in Georgia. First time.

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- KevINtampa
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 4:51pm
  I got the same one I think!
  
  They were looking for a silver truck right?
  
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tonypro
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:51pm
” For example, if a Chicago resident was visiting Boston and a WEA AMBER Alert was issued in Boston, the subscriber would receive the alert. At the same time, if an alert was issued in Chicago, the subscriber would not receive it while in Boston.

Even though it sends messages based on the phone’s location, KXAN reported that it’s a one-way communication so there is no tracking of the phone by the provider or the government.”

OK I have to ask. Guess I’m just stupid……..

If you’re in Boston, and from Commie…..I mean Chicago, if they are not tracking you then………

HOW IN THE HELL DO THEY KNOW YOU ARE IN BOSTON??????

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- Torey
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:42pm
  Its pretty simple… every phone that is a WEA-enabled device in the area that this signal is sent out(it figures that out throught the cell towers) receives it but to attain a location of the device the phone has to send a signal(or message) back to the sender in this case the system. but even if they were able to track you with this it doesnt matter they can track you with your GPS built into your phone n if you disable that they can triangulate your location with your phones cell Signal using nearby towers.
  
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- tonypro
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 4:02pm
  Thanks for the help out there torey.
  
  I also realize that with the technology in surveillance they don’t need a cell phone to track you, it just makes it quicker, and convenient for them.
  
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TH30PH1LUS
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:50pm
It’s just Uncle Sam. Sometimes he uses the backdoor. You didn’t know all your computerized tech has a backdoor? Well now you do.

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- TIMEBOMB
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:06pm
  In my regime that’s all I have is back doors.
  
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TIMEBOMB
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:43pm
I like this idea and my propagandists can use this for my regimes advantage,for example I could order my propagandists to send a text ordering my subjects to turn in their firearms,location and time of drop off etc. When the dollar collapses my serfs could receive a text telling them where the nearest bread line is and since everyone will have an O phone my serfs can receive orders from their ruler in real time.
Praise be to me BHO.

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- Fubared
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:52pm
  That sir seems efficient; so unlike the regime as a whole. No offense with the “a whole” part.
  
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- sparkyrules
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:54pm
  Outstanding.
  
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- Cloth Stews
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:57pm
  I live near San Antonio and I drive a school bus. We are not allowed to use our cell phones while working. While my phone was on silent it began beeping a ring tone I have never heard. When I got to a place that I could exit the bus with no students on board, I checked and it was an Amber Alert. I knew it was something very important since my phone was beeping while silenced and was relieved to find that the Mayan’s had not miscalculated.
  
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- TIMEBOMB
  Posted on January 4, 2013 at 3:05pm
  Fubared None taken,as your gay Marxist ruler I’ve had my nose……………….. I could say it but they’d take it down.
  
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TMDesign
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:40pm
Nope, just corrupt police officials…

http://www.enumclaw.com/tv/enumclaw-police-help-athena-dean-steal-20000-worth-of-property-from-local-residents/

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ResistSocialism
Posted on January 4, 2013 at 2:34pm
nope

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