The California Highway Patrol (CHP) has issued a public warning regarding a new phone scam targeting families. Fraudsters, impersonating Amber Alert representatives, are contacting residents and offering to register their children's information in person. The CHP emphasizes that this is not a legitimate practice and the Amber Alert system does not involve in-person registration.

The Amber Alert system, established in 2003 and named after Amber Hagerman, a young girl tragically kidnapped and murdered in 1996, is designed to rapidly disseminate information about child abductions to the public. It does not involve proactive registration of children.

The CHP has clarified that they are the sole agency authorized to activate Amber Alerts within California. They urge residents to exercise caution, avoid sharing personal information over the phone with unknown callers, and report any suspicious calls to law enforcement. They also advise against answering calls from numbers flagged as potential scams.