ORANGEBURG, S.C. (WIS) - Various Black college students around South Carolina have reported receiving racist text messages in the days following the 2024 election.
Students at Clemson University and Claflin University have been receiving the messages, but similar incidents have been reported nationwide after President-elect Donald Trump's victory during the 2024 presidential election.
In Orangeburg, Claflin University said the messages have been sent from various numbers which are spoofed and unlinked to social media sites.
"These messages are believed to be a hoax designed to disrespect and instill fear and anxiety," Claflin University said in their response.
It is currently unknown how the sender is able to determine the recipients' personal information.
Claflin said the South Carolina Information and Intelligence Center is aware of the messages as well.
While the texts differ in format between various numbers, they name the recipient specifically in the message and state they have been "selected to pick cotton at a nearby plantation" and will be picked up by "executive slaves in a brown van."
The recipient is then encouraged to text "88022'', a number known to be associated with Trump's 2024 presidential campaign. When texting the phrase "TRUMP" to this number, the sender will be provided with voter registration and fundraising links for Trump's campaign.
When attempting to call one of the phone numbers that sent one of these texts, callers receive an automatic reply saying "the TextNow subscriber you are trying to reach is unavailable." TextNow is a free text messaging service that allows users to create burner phone numbers.