COLUMBUS – Authorities say bomb threats sent to dozens of schools, universities and other locations in central Ohio and across the U.S. appear to be a hoax.
A building at Capital University was evacuated Thursday and The Columbus Dispatch reports at least 10 Columbus businesses received threats similar to others that occurred nationwide, meant to cause disruption and compel recipients into sending money via Bitcoin.
CapAlert: There has been a bomb threat at Yochum Hall. Please evacuate Yochum Hall until further notice.
— Capital University (@Capital_U) December 13, 2018
Capital University officials notified students and faculty via Twitter Thursday afternoon of a bomb threat and evacuation at Yochum Hall. An “all clear” message was transmitted less than a half hour later.
The threats emailed Thursday to hundreds of schools, businesses and government buildings across the U.S. triggered searches, evacuations and fear — but there were no signs of explosives, and 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.” They were sent from a spoofed email address. The sender claimed to have had an associate plant a small bomb in the recipient’s building and that the only way to stop him from setting it off was by making an online payment of $20,000 in Bitcoin.
The bomb threats also prompted evacuations at city hall in Aurora, Illinois, the offices of the News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina, a suburban Atlanta courthouse and businesses in Detroit.