In an era when nearly everyone is being bombarded by scam phone calls and text messages, police are encouraging locals to make sure a potentially life-saving, but unusual, phone number is not blocked.
The Queensland Police Service (QPS) is calling on residents to update phone settings and “favourite” the Emergency Alert (EA) phone number, +61 444 444 444, to stay informed during an emergency or disaster. WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW.
Deputy Commissioner Shane Chelepy said Emergency Alert was the national telephone-based warning system used to send voice messages to landlines and text messages to mobile phones to warn people of emergencies.
Deputy Commissioner Chelepy said this included dangerous weather with potentially severe impacts.
“An Emergency Alert is just one way for authorities to warn communities of a dangerous situation in the area and only issued when necessary.
“They are not issued for every circumstance but the message will include important, potentially life-saving directions which require you to take action to stay safe,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner Chelepy said Queenslanders did not need to register to receive an Emergency Alert, just add the number to your Contacts, so you can then add it to Favourites.
“Messages from +61 444 444 444 are not a scam, they are official phone warnings as part of a national geo-targeting emergency alert system.
“Residents are being asked to check the number is not blocked on their device and to add it to their ‘favourites’, so they don’t miss the alerts.”
He said if those steps were followed, even if the phone was set to “do not disturb”, the phone would still receive the alert, no matter what time of the day or night it was issued.
