An audible alert from the US Government for mobile phones brings to light dozens of phones hidden in prisons

Recently in Spain we have learned about the experience of Civil Protection alerts that sound on all mobile phones at the same time. This week, a test took place in the United States.

But beyond its real usefulness, this test has turned out to have a curious consequence: it has brought to light dozens of mobile phones that some prisoners had hidden in prison.

As reported by the TMZ.com portal, the test of the National Emergency Alert System was carried out on Wednesday.

Millions of cell phone users across the United States received an alert from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the FCC on Wednesday to ensure emergency alerts reach the public nationwide.

But so did the wrong person: A New York State Prison official confirmed to TMZ that at least two phones were confiscated at Sing Sing Correctional Facility during the ordeal.

Also at the Coleman Low prison in Florida, two phones were confiscated during the emergency test. And there are similar testimonies from prison officials in Arizona, California or Illinois.

Phone trafficking in American prisons has become a growing problem, and officials have implemented new tactics to try to track them down, including phone-sniffing dogs called e-dogs.