The FBI rolled out a new public service announcement called “Think Before You Post" in the hope that people stop making hoax threats in the wake of tragedies. They offer a stark warning: if you make a hoax threat, you will be prosecuted.
Hoax threats disrupt school, waste limited law enforcement resources, and put first responders in unnecessary danger. We also don’t want to see a young person start out adulthood with a felony record over an impulsive social media post. It’s not a joke; always think before you post.
The FBI highlighted the potential consequences, citing the case of a 22-year-old Texas man just released from three years in prison for using fake email accounts, Twitter accounts and internet-based phone accounts to make hoax threats in Minnesota, including threatening to kill a police officer and her family. He also threatened to blow up and shoot up a school and engaged in swatting -- calling in fake reports that violent crimes were in progress.
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