FHS is victim of bomb threat hoax
According to various law enforcement agencies, dozens of bomb threats were reported last Thursday at government buildings, media outlets, banks, and schools across the United States. The threats were sent in spam emails requesting that their targets pay ransoms in bitcoin. The emails were all similar in that the sender had hired a “recruited mercenary” to place an explosive device in the building and that it would be detonated unless $20,000 in cyber currency was paid. These threats were a twist on earlier cyber extortion schemes that threatened individuals with blackmail if a payment was not sent.
One of the targets of the cyber attack last Thursday was Friona High School. Somewhere around 2:30 p.m., a teacher at FHS checked their email and discovered the threatening message. That teacher reported the threat to the High School office and the staff notified local law enforcement officials. After determining that the threat posed a danger to the students, a predetermined evacuation plan was implemented. All students exited the buildings and loaded onto buses and were driven to an undisclosed location until the threat was declared over. The evacuation plan took approximately 5 minutes to complete. Meanwhile, the Primary, Elementary, and Junior High Schools were all placed on “lockdown” as a precaution.
At approximately 3:20 p.m., the Friona Police Department informed Superintendent Jimmy Burns that the Texas Rangers had given the “all clear” signal and that the students could return to school. Even though there were a few anxious moments, school officials were very pleased with how everyone handled the crisis. Superintendent Burns would like to remind parents that the safety of the students is his number one priority and that all lockdowns and evacuations are designed and mandated in order to protect your kids from danger.
The FBI has offered support to all local authorities. “We are aware of the recent bomb threats made in cities around the country,” the FBI said in a statement. “As always, we encourage the public to remain vigilant and to promptly report suspicious activities which could represent a threat to public safety.”
It will be hard to discover who initiated the cyber attack scam and if their motivation was money or just chaos. There were no reports that any explosive devices were found, but the threats alone cost thousands of dollars.
