Springfield police, fire departments warn against fake bomb threats

(From the Springfield Police Department and the Springfield Fire Department)

The Springfield Fire Department Bomb Squad has been responding to reports of bomb threats that were delivered via email over the past 24 hours.

These emails are consistent in tone and content with what is occurring nationally, and threaten to activate an explosive device if the recipient does not immediately pay a ransom through Bitcoin. These threats are not considered to be credible by Homeland Security.

Springfield Fire Chief David Pennington and Springfield Police Chief Paul Williams provide these important points to remember:

These messages are being delivered to email accounts, and should be handled as a cyberthreat to your information systems network. Many, if not all, of the email received contains the subject line “I advise you not to call the police” 

Take care not to open email with an unfamiliar sender or odd subject line, and, should you accidentally do so, do not respond to the message or open attachments. Under no circumstances should you comply with the demands contained in the email. 

Should you receive a similar email, notification to your information systems or networking team is advised.

The FBI has asked that persons receiving these email threats log a complaint at IC3.gov.
See something – say something. While the current email is being considered a hoax, it is important for the public to always remain vigilant. Do not hesitate to contact 9-1-1 if concerned by something you receive or see something you consider to be out of the ordinary. 

The Springfield Police and Fire Department are prepared to investigate and ensure the safety of our community, and every threat will be taken seriously.