Dozens of black Americans have received text messages telling them they had been “selected” to pick cotton “at the nearest plantation”.
The messages invoking slavery were sent to university students from colleges including Ohio State University, Clemson University in South Carolina, the University of Southern California and Missouri State University, according to Sky’s US partner network NBC News.
But other black men, women and children were recipients of the messages in several other states including New York, Alabama, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Tennessee.
The first messages were sent the morning after the US election, with some referencing president-elect Donald Trump.
The FBI said in a statement on Thursday that it is aware of the texts and has been in contact with the US Department of Justice. It also encouraged people who receive the messages to report them to local law enforcement.
The Federal Communications Commission also said it is investigating alongside federal and state law enforcement.
The attorney general’s office in Virginia condemned the messages on Wednesday and directed anyone who “believes themselves to be under threat” to contact law enforcement. Police departments and leaders in cities across the country have also addressed the situation.
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It is unclear who is behind the mass messages, what motivated them, or how they obtained the phone numbers.
But some of the anonymous numbers appear to be tied to TextNow, a text messaging service that allows users to obtain untraceable “burner” phone numbers.
A TextNow spokesperson said in a statement that it is aware of the messages.
“As soon as we became aware, our trust and safety team acted quickly, shutting down the accounts involved within the hour,” the Canada-based company said.
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“TextNow is proud to be an inclusive service offering free mobile text and data to millions of Americans. We do not tolerate or condone the use of our service to send harassing or spam messages and will work with the authorities to prevent these individuals from doing so in the future.”
Major communications providers AT&T and Verizon both said it was an industry-wide problem.
Louisiana attorney general Liz Murrill said that whoever sent the messages used a VPN to obscure their origin.
Alyse McCall, a University of Alabama student, said she “started crying” after receiving one of the messages.
“This is truly disgusting and whoever is sending it out is vile. No one should ever think to send that message or receive that message. It made me sick to my stomach,” she said.
A University of Alabama spokesperson said the “disgusting” texts “have been reported to authorities”.
Meanwhile, Monet Miller, a publicist from Atlanta, said she “genuinely felt scared” after she was sent a message.
The text sent to her read: “Greetings Monet M, you have been selected to pick cutton [sic] at the nearest plantation.
“Be ready at 12pm SHARP with your belongings. Our Executive Slaves will come get you in a Brown Van, be prepared to be searched down once you’ve enter [sic] the plantation. You are in plantation group S.”
Brian Hughes from the Trump campaign denounced the texts and said it is “absolute nonsense” to link the president-elect to the messages.
“If we can find the origin of these messages which promote this kind of ugliness in our name we will obviously take legal action to stop it,” Mr Hughes said in a statement.
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“President Trump built a diverse and broad coalition of support, with voters of all races and backgrounds,” he added.
“The result was a landslide victory for his common sense mandate for change. This will result in a second term that is beneficial to every working man and woman in our nation.”
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The National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP) condemned the messages, adding that it believes the texts were a product of the president-elect’s rhetoric.
“The unfortunate reality of electing a president who, historically has embraced, and at times encouraged hate, is unfolding before our eyes,” the statement read.
NAACP president Derrick Johnson added: “These messages represent an alarming increase in vile and abhorrent rhetoric from racist groups across the country.”
