Bitcoin bomb threats: Dozens of major public buildings evacuated across US over cryptocurrency email

Counterterrorism officials said a series of bomb threats reported across the country appeared to be a hoax after scammers targeted media outlets and major institutions demanding Bitcoin in exchange for their safety.

The bomb threats came in the form of spam emails demanding recipients provide ransom payments in the form of the electronic currency, and targeted schools, media outlets, police precincts and other organisations, reportedly including at least 13 locations across New York City.

"I write to inform you that my man has carried the bomb (Tetryl) into the building where your business is located," read one of the emails posted to social media, which demanded $20,000 in Bitcoin. "It was assembled according to my instructions. It can be hidden anywhere because of its small size, it cannot damage the supporting building structures, but there will be many victims in case of its explosion."

"You must pay me by the end of the working day, if you are late with the transaction the bomb will explode," the message continued. "This is just a business, if I do not see the bitcoins and a bomb detonates, other companies will transfer me more money, because it isn't a single case."

Several schools and businesses evacuated buildings in response to the threats. The News & Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina was one of the organisations to have its facilities cleared amid the chaos and confusion

"We have evacuated the [News & Observer] building due to a bomb threat," Jane Elizabeth, the managing editor of the newspaper, tweeted on Thursday. "We have no information that this is credible but of course we're taking every precaution."

Police responded Thursday to threats reported in Iowa, Idaho, Oklahoma, Massachusetts and a number of other states, all of which were determined to be hoaxes by local officials.

Counterterrorism officials with the New York Police Department, among other law enforcement agencies around the country, also confirmed the existence of the threats in a tweet, writing, "These threats are also being reported to other locations nationwide & are NOT considered credible at this time."

These threats came just one day after Facebook's Menlo Park headquarters had to evacuate its building in response to a bomb threats.

Several people on Twitter have shared similar spam emails sent to them demanding ransom Bitcoin payment, claiming a bomb would detonate at their business, school, or home if they did not comply.

"The Bitcoin-spam-scammers have moved on from fake blackmail threats to fake bomb threats," Tom Scott, a popular YouTube personality, tweeted. "So far no-one's paid anything to the address, and I suspect it'll stay that way."

"So I actually just got a bomb threat in my work email today ordering me to send the person $20,000 via bitcoin or they will blow up my place of work," another Twitter user wrote. "2018 is wild."

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