YET ANOTHER TEST. THEY WERE VERY BUSY OVER THAT 200
EXPERIMENTF RACIST TEXTS SENT TO
>> IMPORTANT RESEARCH TOO. TOM
COSTELLO, THANK YOU.
>>> THE FBI IS INVESTIGATING
RACIST TEXTS SENT TO BLACK
AMERICANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY
AND ONE STATE ATTORNEY GENERAL
SAYS FOREIGN ACTORS MAY BE
INVOLVED. I SPOKE TO SOME OF
THE VICTIMS THAT RECEIVED THES
MESSAGES.
>> Reporter: CORRINE FREEMAN
WAS AT HOME WITH HER KIDS WHEN
SHE GOT A TEXT FROM A NUMBER
SHE DID NOT RECOGNIZE.
>> IT WAS THIS ODD, OMINOUS
FEELING TEXT MESSAGE BASICALLY
SAYING, HELLO. YOU HAVE BEEN
SELECTED TO BE A SLAVE ON A
PLANTATION IN YOUR SCHEDULE TO
BE PICKED UP AT 12:00 A.M. ON
NOVEMBER 13th.
>> HOW DID IT FEEL WHEN YOU ALO
SOCIAL MEDIA SITES HAVE BEEN
FLOODED WITH PEOPLE FROMGOEW
I’m Lester Holt. THAT TEXT MESSAGE?
>> I WAS IMMEDIATELY DISTURBED
I FELT SCARED AND AFRAID.
>> Reporter: SOCIAL MEDIA SITE
HAVE BEEN FLOODED FROM NEW YOR
TO CALIFORNIA WHO SAY THEY HAV
RECEIVED THESE RACIST TEXT
MESSAGES.
>> PICK COTTON AT THE NEWEST
PLANTATION.
>> OUR EXECUTIVE SLAVE WILL
COME GET YOU IN A BROWN VAN?
>> Reporter: SOME HAVE
MISSPELLINGS AND OTHERS ADDRES
INDIVIDUALS BY NAME BUT THE
THEME IS CONSISTENT TELLING
RECIPIENTS THEY HAVE BEEN
SELECTED TO PICK COTTON. ALL O
THE PEOPLE NBC NEWS SPOKE TO
WHO GOT THESE MESSAGES ARE
BLACK, LIKE THIS 22-YEAR-OLD
FROM TEXAS.
>> NO ONE HAS BEEN DOING THIS
UNTIL THE DAY AFTER THE
ELECTION DAY. I DID NOT TAKE I
SERIOUSLY OR ANYTHING LIKE
THAT. SOMEONE WANTS TO BE FUNN
. I JUST DIDN‘T THINK IT WAS
FUNNY AT ALL.
>> Reporter: IT HAPPENED TO
THIS 28-YEAR-OLD IN MICHIGAN
TOO.
>> TO HAVE A MESSAGE LIKE THAT
POP UP ON MY PHONE WAS
DISHEARTENING AND DEHUMANIZING
AS A PERSON.
>> ARE YOU GETTING EMOTIONAL?
>> I DIDN‘T THINK I WAS GOING
TO GET VERY EMOTIONAL BUT I
DON‘T UNDERSTAND HOW ANYONE
COULD THINK LIKE THAT AND WANT
TO SEND OUT A MASS TEXT LIKE
THAT TO MAKE PEOPLE FEEL EVEN
MORE HURT THAN THEY ALREADY
FEEL. I THOUGHT MAYBE AFTER TH
ELECTION WE COULD AT LEAST
FIGURE OUT HOW TO PICK UP THE
PIECES.
>> Reporter: RECIPIENTS WE
SPOKE TO BELIEVE THE TEXTS MAY
HAVE BEEN SPARKED BY THE WIN O
PRESIDENT-ELECT TRUMP. TELLING
NBC NEWS IN PART, PRESIDENT
TRUMP BUILT A DIVERSE AND BROA
COALITION OF SUPPORT WITH
VOTERS OF ALL RACES AND
BACKGROUNDS, AND REFUTING ANY
CLAIMS OF INVOLVEMENT ESAS IN O
ABSOLUTE NONSENSE. ADDING, IF
WE CAN FIND THE ORIGIN OF THES
MESSAGES WHICH PROMOTE THIS
KIND OF UGLINESS IN OUR NAME,
WE WILL TAKE LEGAL ACTION TO
STOP IT. IT REMAINS UNCLEAR
WHAT MOTIVATED THE MESSAGES AN
THE FBI IS INVESTIGATING. A
NUMBER OF SCHOOLS SAY THEIR
STUDENTS HAVE REPORTED GETTING
THE TEXTS. THEY CAME FROM
NUMBERS ASSOCIATED WITH ONLINE
SPOOFING SITES BUT TEXT NOW
WHICH OFFERS FREE PHONE NUMBER
ONLINE CONFIRMS ONE OF ITS
ACCOUNTS MAY BE INVOLVED ,
WRITING IN A STATEMENT WE DO
NOT TOLERATE OR CONDONE THE US
OF OUR SERVICE TO SEND
HARASSING OR SPAM MESSAGES,
ADDING THEY SHUT DOWN THE
ACCOUNTS AND ARE WORKING WITH
AUTHORITIES. OUR ENFORCEMENT
BUREAU IS AWARE OF THESE AND I
LOOKING INTO THEM ALONGSIDE
FEDERAL AND STATE LAW
ENFORCEMENT. RECIPIENTS LIKE
KAREN FREEMAN, DIGITAL HATE IS
FUELING HER REAL-WORLD
CONCERNS.
>> I AM OVERWHELMED WITH
ANXIETY AND FEAR ON HOW I WILL
HELP MY CHILDREN MAKE SENSE OF
THE WORLD THAT THEY HAVE TO
NAVIGATE AS BLACK CHILDREN. HO
IT IS THAT I WILL HAVE TO HAVE
THE SAME CONVERSATION THAT MY
PARENTS HAD WITH ME, THAT THEI
PARENTS HAD WITH THEM.
>> THE FBI AND FCC‘S
INVESTIGATIONS CONTINUE.
MEANWHILE LAW ENFORCEMENT
SOURCES CONFIRM SEVERAL
BRANCHES OF THE FBI ARE ENGAGE
IN THIS INVESTIGATION. THE FBI