COLUMBUS, Ohio ( WCMH ) — Central Ohioans are among the Black Americans receiving racist text messages from anonymous sources across the nation.
The messages are being reported nationwide, and appear to be targeting Black Americans, especially college students. Ohio State and Columbus State students are among those targeted, according to an OSU representative and an email sent to Columbus State students acquired by NBC4.
The messages appear to all be variations of the same racist threats, and some include the recipients’ names. According to NBC News, some of the anonymous numbers appear to be tied to TextNow, a messaging service that allows users to digitally adopt untraceable “burner” phone numbers. NBC News reported TextNow spokespeople confirmed the accounts that have been reported have been shut down.
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The Ohio State representative said the messages have been reported to the Office of Institutional Equity and that the university is offering support services.