WASHINGTON (AP) — Several federal and state agencies are investigating how racist text messages were sent en masse to Black people across the country following this week’s presidential election.

The text messages invoking slavery were sent to black men, women and children, prompting investigations by the Justice Department. FBI and other law enforcement agencies.

Messages sent anonymously have been reported in several states, including new York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland And Tennessee. The FBI said it had communicated with the Justice Department about the messages, and the Federal Communications Commission said it was investigating alongside federal and state law enforcement.

“These messages are unacceptable,” said FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. She said the agency takes “this type of targeting very seriously.”

Although the texts varied somewhat, they all asked recipients to “board a bus” that would transport them to a “plantation” to work as slaves, officials said. They said the messages were sent to school-aged children and students, causing considerable distress.

Whoever sent the messages used a VPN to mask their origin, Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said Thursday morning.

The Maryland Attorney General’s Office said it received multiple reports of racist text messages sent to Black residents, including children. In a news release Thursday evening, officials said the messages appear to be part of a nationwide campaign targeting Black people in the wake of the election.

“These messages are horrific, unacceptable and will not be tolerated,” Attorney General Anthony Brown said in a statement. Authorities asked recipients of the texts to report them to local law enforcement.

Brown said it was troubling that children were included in data sets typically collected on adults, such as campaign donors or magazine subscribers.

“This is an intimidating and threatening use of technology” that likely violates multiple laws,” Brown said. “And our goal is to make sure we find out all the facts and then use all the tools and resources we have to hold accountable whoever is behind these text messages.”

Phone service provider TextNow said “one or more of our accounts” had been used to send racist text messages and that it quickly disabled those accounts for violating its terms of service.

“As part of our investigation into these messages, we learned that they were sent via multiple carriers across the United States and we are working cooperatively with our partners and law enforcement to investigate this attack.” , he said in a statement on Friday.

Major carriers AT&T and Verizon both said it was an industry-wide problem and referred comments Friday to an industry trade group.

The U.S. wireless industry blocked thousands of text messages and the numbers that sent them,” said Nick Ludlum, senior vice president and chief communications officer of CTIA, a wireless communications trade association. “Through CTIA’s Secure Messaging Initiative, participants have identified the platforms bad actors use to send these messages and are working with law enforcement on this issue.”

These racist text messages span the country, primarily targeting Black Americans, and specifically Black children as young as middle school students.

Nicole, a mother in North Carolina who asked not to use her last name because of her profession, said she was disturbed and concerned by the messages her high school daughter showed her Thursday evening. The texts instructed him to prepare to return to the plantation. It was her daughter’s first real experience with this type of racism, Nicole said, and as a parent, she didn’t want to have to have such conversations with her children.

“It’s like a slap in the face and it shows me that this is still a problem that hasn’t changed at all,” she said.

Nicole said her daughter didn’t really say much after the text, deleted the message and went to bed. As for Nicole, she said she needs to sit down and process her feelings. She said the situation was so shocking that it didn’t seem real and she felt sad for her daughter.

“She has a lot of friends of different races. She’s the one who doesn’t see color and she doesn’t see the difference. So, I feel like for her, it really showed her that not everyone is like her,” Nicole said. “Racism is still a very big thing in our country right now.”

Nicole said parents need to be vigilant, especially with older children, and have difficult conversations, even if you don’t want to or feel obligated to.

“Whatever way your child is feeling, approach them with open arms, be very receptive and take it day by day. »