FBI warns what messages in social networks can ruin your life in America

In recent months, the FBI and law enforcement agencies across the country have investigated a number of prank threats of targeted violence against schools and other public places. These threats are often made in text messages or posted on social media and are taken very seriously. Joking threats are not a joke at all and can have disastrous consequences for both society and the author.

Фото: Depositphotos

Publishing threats, even through social networks, in text messages or by e-mail, is a federal crime. Those who publish or submit these threats may face local or state charges or receive five years in federal prison.

“Through thoughtless posting on social media, young people risk starting their adult lives in prison and being forever labeled as criminals,” the FBI says on its website.

“The FBI and law enforcement officials take every threat seriously. We investigate and fully analyze every threat,” said FBI Deputy Director David Bowditch.

In addition to the consequences for people who threaten, they force taxpayers to pay for law enforcement. Threats can also cause serious emotional disturbances for students, school personnel and parents.

Here are some examples of serious threats that the FBI and our partners have investigated:

• A young man in Texas used social networks and a telephone to threaten schools in Minnesota. He also spoke about fake hostage situations, that is, deceived. He was arrested and convicted. He was sentenced to more than three years in federal prison. At the time of his sentence, he was 19 years old.
• An 21-year-old man from South Carolina was sentenced to one year in federal prison after he sent text messages saying that there was a bomb in the state at the Veterans Medical Center.
• An 18-year-old from North Carolina was sentenced to 22 months in federal prison and was ordered to pay restitution after he broadcast himself on the Internet, voicing threats to leave bombs in various public places, including schools, colleges and FBI offices.

What to do?

• Never send threats online fraud.
• If you are the target of an online threat, report it immediately to your local law enforcement agency.
• If you see a threat of violence in social networks, immediately contact your local law enforcement agency or your local FBI office. Members of the public can always submit feedback to the FBI at tips.fbi.gov.
• Notify authorities, but don't talk about threats to others until law enforcement can investigate—this can spread misinformation and cause panic.
• If you are a parent or family member, be aware that some people publish these threats online to get attention or as a way to get revenge. Talk to your child about appropriately resolving a stressful situation or showing other emotions, and explain the importance of using social networks responsibly and the consequences of publishing evasion threats.

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