Authorities: Wave of hoax bomb threats hits U.S.

Demands seem to be part of scam

NEW YORK — A wave of bomb threats emailed Thursday to hundreds of schools, businesses and government buildings across the U.S. triggered searches, evacuations and fear — but authorities said the scare appeared to be a crude extortion attempt.

Law enforcement agencies across the country dismissed the threats, saying they were meant to cause disruption and compel recipients into sending money, and were not considered credible.

Some of the emails had the subject line: “Think Twice” and were sent from a spoofed email address. The sender claimed that a small bomb was in the recipient’s building and that the only way to stop it from being set it off was with an online payment of $20,000 in Bitcoin.

“We are currently monitoring multiple bomb threats that have been sent electronically to various locations throughout the city,” the New York City Police Department’s counterterrorism unit tweeted. “These threats are also being reported … nationwide & are NOT considered credible at this time.”

Other law enforcement agencies also dismissed the threats, which were written in a choppy style reminiscent of the Nigerian prince email scam.

The Palm Beach County, Fla., sheriff’s office and the Boise, Idaho, police said they had no reason to believe that threats made to locations in those areas were credible.

The FBI said it is assisting law enforcement agencies dealing with the threats. “As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant … ,” the agency said in a statement.

Across the country, some schools closed early and others were evacuated or placed on lockdown because of the hoax.