In the past several weeks, a bogus text message has been circulating throughout the United States claiming an A.M.B.E.R. Alert message has been issued in the receiver’s local area.

The text message provides the following false information: “A 7 yr old girl was taken by a man driving a newer silver truck. The license plate reads 72b381 please please pass on.”

The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children discourages anyone from forwarding this e-mail or test message so as to halt the hoax’s progression.

To confirm or discount such messages, Virginians should go to the official Virginia A.M.B.E.R. Alert Website or access the site through the Virginia State Police Website. The Virginia A.M.B.E.R. Alert Web site immediately identifies an activation of the Alert with specific, mandated information, photo, etc.

If no A.M.B.E.R. Alert is ongoing, then the site specifies such with the statement, “Virginia has no alerts at this time.”

“Often forwarded messages that appear to be or even claim to be ‘A.M.B.E.R. Alerts,’ but do not contain the necessary information are hoaxes,” reports the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. “Even well-intentioned citizens, who attempt to formulate their own alerts and forward them, can unwittingly create confusion and a lack of integrity in the system.”

A.M.B.E.R. Alerts are targeted to specific geographic areas where they are most appropriate.

The A.M.B.E.R. Alert program is a highly successful nationwide effort that has resulted in 443 children being safely returned to their families. The success of the AMBER Alert Program depends on the involvement of the entire community.

The public has many ways to receive official A.M.B.E.R. Alerts via radio, television, Virginia Department of Transportation digital highway message boards, Internet service providers, and through their wireless carriers.