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On October 4th, the federal government will conduct a nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System. All American consumers can expect to receive alerts on their personal cell phones, television, and radio. These alerts will come from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The FCC and FEMA are running the test in preparation for future emergencies. The messages will be similar to alerts consumers may already receive from the National Weather Service and the America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response (AMBER) system.
The test will begin at approximately 2:20 pm EST on Wednesday, October 4th, and run for about a half hour. During this time, consumers can expect to receive a message on their cell phones that will read, "THIS IS A TEST of the National Wireless Emergency Alert System. No action is needed." A similar message will be shown on television and read over the radio.
Consumers will not need to react to these messages in any way. That won’t stop scammers from possibly capitalizing on an opportunity to imposter a government agency. While the Emergency Alert System can provide audio attachments in .mp3 format to their messages, no links or attachments are planned to be included in the October 4th test.
Consumers should not click on any links or attachments they may receive following the alert from numbers they are not familiar with. Clicking on links from scammers impersonating a government agency may compromise personal information stored on a mobile device.
Consumers who have questions about the Emergency Alert Test can visit the websites of FEMA or the FCC. Additionally, Better Business Bureau®Serving Greater Cleveland provides the following tips for consumers who want to steer clear of text messaging scams.
- Be skeptical and use trusted resources - Fact-check information with reputable news sources when possible. Consumers can also visit federal websites for agencies such as FEMA or the FCC
- Guard personal information – Scammers may try to solicit personal information. Be mindful of this, and always verify, when possible, the organization or individual you are communicating to through a third-party resource.
- Check for spelling and grammatical errors – While not all scammers have poor grammar, many fraudsters located off-shore do. Carefully check over communications and analyze them for any inconsistencies.
Better Business Bureau Serving Greater Cleveland recommends individuals who have received an imposter text piggybacking on the Emergency Alert System report their experience to the FCC. Additionally, victims can report scams, regardless of whether or not they have lost money, to BBB.org/ScamTracker. These reports can help others avoid falling victim to fraud.