CINCINNATI — Racist text messages from what appear to be spoofed numbers are being sent to Black residents in Cincinnati — and throughout the nation.
WCPO staff have spoken with multiple people in the Greater Cincinnati region who received the messages, which so far appear to have only been received by Black residents. None of the individuals we spoke with felt comfortable doing an on-camera interview, but they did send screenshots and images of the messages they received — all of which were overtly racist.
We reached out to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost's office, who told us they are investigating, though Yost also declined an interview.
The text messages tell the recipient "You have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation."
It lines out a date and time, which has varied from text to text, telling the recipient they will be picked up by "executive slaves" in a van — the color of which also varied from text to text.
"Be prepared to get searched so don't try anything," reads the text.
Another woman in the Greater Cincinnati area received a different, yet still overtly racist, message that used her name in the beginning of the message.
"As of January, we will be sending personal mail for plantation numbers following the mass deportation of immigrants," that message reads. "Please send back your age and personal qualities for plantation numbers and locations. #MAGA."
At least one of the numbers used to send the messages linked back to what's called a Voice over Internet Protocol — or a computer program that makes and receives calls using the Internet instead of a phone's wired network. VoIPs have been used by legitimate businesses for years, but they have also been used by scammers to spoof phone numbers and generate scam calls.
I called that number but heard only a message that said the number was no longer in service.
Cincinnatians aren't the only ones receiving similar racist messages this week. Screenshots of messages received nationwide have been posted to social media platforms and multiple news outlets have reported the messages coming to phones in Columbus, Ohio, North Carolina, and Virginia.
The FBI is aware and said it is "in contact with the Justice Department" about the texts.
FBI Statement on Offensive and Racist Text Messageshttps://t.co/vpQYAO6LT7 pic.twitter.com/iDtN36WhX4
— FBI (@FBI) November 7, 2024
The Virginia Attorney General's Office issued a statement to WVEC in Norfolk, Virginia condemning the messages and encouraging anyone who believes they are under threat to contact law enforcement.
According to The Columbus Dispatch and WCNC in Charlotte, North Carolina, many of the messages seem to have been sent to students at nearby universities.
A former student at the University of Cincinnati tells WCPO 9 News, that students at the college have received these messages.
"Me reading it, I had such a visceral and horrible reaction that I can't imagine if that was said to me, and directly like affected me," said Nina Nash.
We spoke with a resident who expressed these attacks can be draining especially for people of color. The Cincinnati NAACP released a statement stating, hate and intimidation tactics have no place in our communities.
The FBI encourages residents to report these threats to local law enforcement.
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