Claim: An Amber Alert was issued for a three-year-old boy taken by a man in a 2006 Mitsubishi Eclipse.
FALSE
Examples:
[Collected via e-mail, May 2011]
AMBER ALERT***STOP PLAYING FOR A MINUTE AND RE-POST!
[Collected via e-mail, March 2011]
AMBER ALERT!!! ~ Tammy Lynn Lawrence Nawrath Edmonton, Kentucky USA little girl,
[Collected via e-mail, October 2009]
AMBER ALERT!!! 3 year old boy taken by a man driving an 06 Mitsibishi Eclipse plate #98B351. Copy and paste in your status and keep passing along to help find him. He is in Ohio.
[Collected via e-mail, October 2009]
AMBER ALERT! In Yuba 3 yr old boy taken by a man driving a 06 Mitsubishi Eclipse Licence Plate# 98B351. Keep sending.
[Collected via e-mail, October 2009]
3 years old boy taken by a man driving an 06 mitsubishi eclipse plate# 98B351.. Delaware Keep sending foward 2 some 1 else my save a life.
[Collected via e-mail, October 2009]
3 Year old boy taken by a man in Rochester Minnesota 2006 MItishibishi Eclipse licence plate 98B351
[Collected via e-mail, October 2009]
AMBER ALERT! 3yr old boy taken by a man driving a '06 mitsubishi eclipse Oregon plate # 98B351 KEEP IT GOING
Origins: In early October 2009 yet another missing child
hoax spread across the U.S. via cell phone text message,
Numerous police departments have checked into this (the hoax was nationwide, after all, even hitting Hawaii), and no such abduction took place. The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children confirms that this is not an active Amber Alert.
In January 2010 the hoax once again hit the online community, this time passed not only as a cell phone text message,
The October 2009/January 2010 hoax Amber Alert about an unnamed missing
Notice the similarity in the license plate numbers:
Barbara "phony numbers" Mikkelson
Last updated: 23 May 2011
Sources: |
Vidonic, Bill. "Fake Amber Alert Sent to Local Cell Phones." Beaver County Times. 15 October 2009. [Marysville] Appeal-Democrat. "Amber Alert Message a Hoax." 5 October 2009. Chicago Tribune. "Neb. Officials Warn About False Amber Alerts." 1 October 2009. The Gresham Outlook. "State Police Chase Amber Alert Hoax." 5 October 2009. Honolulu Star Bulletin. "Big Isle Police Warn of Bogus AMBER Alert." 14 October 2009. Salem-News.com. "Hoax Amber Alert Text Messages and Email Showing Up in Oregon." 5 October 2009.