The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) asked students not to make hoax threats via social media, emails, or text messages, in a warning published as part of its 'Think Before You Post' campaign.
"The FBI takes these threats very seriously whether they come in the form of text messages, social media posts, or emails," said the FBI.
"Law enforcement – whether the FBI or our local and state partners – will respond to each threat to determine which are real and which are hoaxes."
The FBI is giving a hand to parents and schools through the 'Think Before You Post' campaign in educating students not to make poor choices that might have a serious impact to their future.
The FBI’s #ThinkBeforeYouPost campaign is designed to help schools & parents educate students before they make a poor choice that could impact them for years . Learn more about building a digital defense against hoax threats in this week's #TechTuesday https://t.co/HiUo44o9Jt pic.twitter.com/PCUIdzkYH3
— FBI Portland (@FBIPortland) September 3, 2019
To underline the seriousness of the consequences they expose themselves to when making hoax threats, the FBI says that threats are a federal crime and "those who post or send these threats can receive up to five years in federal prison, or they can face state or local charges."
Also, hoax threats redirect law enforcement resources from investigations addressing real crimes which inadvertently result in severe emotional stress caused to the targeted individuals.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) issued its own alert based on the FBI one, advising students to review its tip on Identifying Hoaxes and Urban Legends for info on the dangers behind viral emails.
CISA urges anyone witnessing any suspicious activity either to their local FBI field office or to FBI's CyWatch using the cywatch@fbi.gov e-mail.
The FBI also makes the following recommendations to all students, reminding them that hoax threats are not a joke:
• If you are the target of an online threat, call your local law enforcement immediately.
• If you see a threat of violence posted online, contact local law enforcement or your local FBI office. You can also submit information online to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov
• Don’t share or forward a threat until law enforcement has a chance to investigate – this can spread misinformation and cause panic.
However, although the FBI is focusing only on hoax threats, this is not the only type of online activity that could have very serious consequences for years to come.
At this point, any negative comment posted online on social media networks like Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook, whether it be racist, bullying, or of any other type can stay with you forever and could affect your school choices in the future and, for some, even the ability to get a job.
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