FBI probes surge in racist, offensive texts aimed at minorities nationwide

ATLANTA - The FBI is investigating a wave of offensive and racist text messages sent to African American and Black communities across the United States. The messages, which have also targeted high school students, Hispanic individuals, and members of the LGBTQIA+ community, have sparked widespread concern.

The text messages vary in content but often contain racist or discriminatory language. Some African American recipients reported being told they were "selected to pick cotton on a plantation," while Hispanic recipients received messages suggesting they were "selected for deportation." Members of the LGBTQIA+ community have reported messages instructing them to report to "re-education camps." In some cases, the offensive messages have also been distributed via email.

Cybersecurity experts have said investigators will likely have a harder time tracking the emails if they come from outside of the country.

"The text messages, they are coming from the United States, they are easier to trace back because there are only a few organizations that provide these internet services or sim card services to send these phone messages," said Rajiv Garg, Associate Professor of Information Systems & Operations Management at Emory University's at Goizueta Business School.

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Some security experts believe this harassment has become easier to execute with AI resources.

"Assuming you have the phone number, you or I could essentially go onto ChatGPT or any of these AI models, that could generate a code that would send a message that we want for people in about 5 to 10 minutes," explained Garg.

He questioned whether or not cell phone carriers are doing enough.

"They can essentially detect this as a potential spam or scam or essentially a hardcore, racist message. They can prevent those from going to individuals," he said.

He pointed out that they already do something similar when notifying users of potential spam calls on caller ID.

"They create the guardrails, like the email servers have been doing with the spam filters all this time. Why is it that the telecommunication companies haven’t created these filters for text messaging?" questioned Garg.

In a statement, the FBI emphasized its commitment to addressing the issue in coordination with federal and local authorities.

"We are evaluating all reported incidents and engaging with the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division," the FBI said. "We are also sharing information with our law enforcement partners and community, academia, and faith leaders."

While there have been no reports of violence directly linked to the messages, the FBI is urging vigilance. The agency is encouraging anyone who receives messages of this nature to report them immediately by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (1-800-225-5324) or submitting details online at tips.fbi.gov.

How to block racist, offensive texts

APPLE

Did you know you can filter out unwanted text messages from bogging down your Messages?

Here's how to block a specific contact or phone number from sending you messages:

• Go to the Messages app
• In a Messages conversation, tap the name or number at the top of the conversation.
• Tap Info, scroll down, then tap Block this Caller.
• More

Here's how you can filter messages from unknown senders (numbers that aren't saved under a contact):

• Go to Settings > Apps > Messages.
• Scroll down to Message Filtering, then turn on Filter Unknown Senders.

Apple Support has a full iPhone User Guide with more information on how to keep your Messages clean.

ANDROID

Did you know you can report an unwanted conversation as spam?

• Open Google Message
• Tap and hold the conversation you want to report
• Tap Block > Report spam > Ok

Google Support has a Help Center thread on other ways to block a conversation, including how to remove a spam report.