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Clemson

Police investigate spoofed biased text messages; no credible threat found

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Clemson reported that students received racially disparaging texts from spoofed numbers; investigation found no indication of a credible threat.

Alerts
1
Response
—
Killed
0
Injured
0
Institution
Clemson University
Public R1 · SC
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~28,000 studentsCU Alert
Official alert policy
Read when and how Clemson says it will use CU Alerts: summarized, quoted, and analyzed.
Documented Timeline

Alert Sequence

1 message in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Confirmed wording is transcribed character-for-character from a primary source. Use Verify this quote under each message to open that source in a new tab and compare the text yourself.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Verified verbatim1528 chars
On Wednesday, the Clemson University Police Department (CUPD) began to receive reports of students receiving text messages containing racially disparaging and biased language from unrecognized numbers.CUPD immediately initiated an investigation and began working with state partners to identify the source of the messages.These numbers have been determined to be associated with online spoofing sites. CUPD has communicated with the State Law Enforcement Division’s Fusion Center and investigators have been made aware that Clemson University students are not the only individuals to have received such messages. The messages appear to have been broadly distributed, as a number of other states and institutions have also reported the same or similar communications. Based on the information available, there is currently no indication of a credible threat to members of the University community. CUPD takes all reports of concerning communication seriously and is committed to the safety of the University community. The department continues to actively investigate these incidents in partnership with state and federal agencies. If you receive suspicious messages from a number you do not recognize, report it to CUPD by calling864-656-2222. Additionally, resources are available to students who may have been affected by these messages. If you wish to speak to a counselor, contactCounseling and Psychological Services(CAPS) by calling864-656-2451. After-hours counseling is available by selecting option 2 from the menu.
Verify this quote
CU Alerts official archivealerts.clemson.edufind archived copies
Complete text from alerts.clemson.edu
Message elements

How the first alert is built

To check this alert, Claude (an AI) read it in full 25 separate times, independently. Each read decided whether the message answers each of the six questions and gave a short reason. A final reviewer then weighed all 25 and wrote the plain-English verdict you see when you open a row. The score (for example 22/25) is how many reads agreed; the 25 individual reads are tucked underneath if you want to check them.

On Wednesday, the Clemson University Police Department (CUPD) began to receive reports of students receiving text messages containing racially disparaging and biased language from unrecognized numbers.CUPD immediately initiated an investigation and began working with state partners to identify the source of the messages.These numbers have been determined to be associated with online spoofing sites. CUPD has communicated with the State Law Enforcement Division’s Fusion Center and investigators have been made aware that Clemson University students are not the only individuals to have received such messages. The messages appear to have been broadly distributed, as a number of other states and institutions have also reported the same or similar communications. Based on the information available, there is currently no indication of a credible threat to members of the University community. CUPD takes all reports of concerning communication seriously and is committed to the safety of the University community. The department continues to actively investigate these incidents in partnership with state and federal agencies. If you receive suspicious messages from a number you do not recognize, report it to CUPD by calling864-656-2222. Additionally, resources are available to students who may have been affected by these messages. If you wish to speak to a counselor, contactCounseling and Psychological Services(CAPS) by calling864-656-2451. After-hours counseling is available by selecting option 2 from the menu.

  • Sourcepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present majority S (txt).

    Who is sending the alert and who is responding. People act faster on a message from a clearly identifiable, credible sender, such as a named department, the police, or a branded alert system, than on an anonymous notice. A branded signature counts.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt0).
    2. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt1).
    3. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt2).
    4. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt3).
    5. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt4).
    6. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt5).
    7. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt6).
    8. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt7).
    9. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt8).
    10. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt9).
    11. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt10).
    12. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt11).
    13. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt12).
    14. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt13).
    15. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt14).
    16. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt15).
    17. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt16).
    18. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt17).
    19. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt18).
    20. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt19).
    21. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt20).
    22. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt21).
    23. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt22).
    24. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt23).
    25. present: CUPD / CU Alert identifies the sender (txt24).
  • Hazardpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present majority H (txt).

    What the threat actually is. A complete warning names the specific danger, such as a shooter, a fire, a tornado, or a gas leak, rather than a vague emergency, because people decide what to do based on what they are facing.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Specific hazard is named (txt0).
    2. present: Specific hazard is named (txt1).
    3. present: Specific hazard is named (txt2).
    4. present: Specific hazard is named (txt3).
    5. present: Specific hazard is named (txt4).
    6. present: Specific hazard is named (txt5).
    7. present: Specific hazard is named (txt6).
    8. present: Specific hazard is named (txt7).
    9. present: Specific hazard is named (txt8).
    10. present: Specific hazard is named (txt9).
    11. present: Specific hazard is named (txt10).
    12. present: Specific hazard is named (txt11).
    13. present: Specific hazard is named (txt12).
    14. present: Specific hazard is named (txt13).
    15. present: Specific hazard is named (txt14).
    16. present: Specific hazard is named (txt15).
    17. present: Specific hazard is named (txt16).
    18. present: Specific hazard is named (txt17).
    19. present: Specific hazard is named (txt18).
    20. present: Specific hazard is named (txt19).
    21. present: Specific hazard is named (txt20).
    22. present: Specific hazard is named (txt21).
    23. present: Specific hazard is named (txt22).
    24. present: Specific hazard is named (txt23).
    25. present: Specific hazard is named (txt24).
  • Locationpresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present majority L (txt).

    Where the threat is. Saying whether danger is in a specific building, a part of campus, or area-wide lets people judge their own proximity and choose a safe direction. Without a where, a warning is hard to act on precisely.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Campus location is named (txt0).
    2. present: Campus location is named (txt1).
    3. present: Campus location is named (txt2).
    4. present: Campus location is named (txt3).
    5. present: Campus location is named (txt4).
    6. present: Campus location is named (txt5).
    7. present: Campus location is named (txt6).
    8. present: Campus location is named (txt7).
    9. present: Campus location is named (txt8).
    10. present: Campus location is named (txt9).
    11. present: Campus location is named (txt10).
    12. present: Campus location is named (txt11).
    13. present: Campus location is named (txt12).
    14. present: Campus location is named (txt13).
    15. present: Campus location is named (txt14).
    16. present: Campus location is named (txt15).
    17. present: Campus location is named (txt16).
    18. present: Campus location is named (txt17).
    19. present: Campus location is named (txt18).
    20. present: Campus location is named (txt19).
    21. present: Campus location is named (txt20).
    22. present: Campus location is named (txt21).
    23. present: Campus location is named (txt22).
    24. present: Campus location is named (txt23).
    25. present: Campus location is named (txt24).
  • Guidancepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present majority G (txt).

    The protective action to take. A clear, specific instruction, such as shelter in place, evacuate, avoid the area, or run-hide-fight, drives faster and more correct protective behavior than describing the threat alone.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt0).
    2. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt1).
    3. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt2).
    4. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt3).
    5. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt4).
    6. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt5).
    7. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt6).
    8. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt7).
    9. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt8).
    10. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt9).
    11. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt10).
    12. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt11).
    13. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt12).
    14. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt13).
    15. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt14).
    16. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt15).
    17. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt16).
    18. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt17).
    19. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt18).
    20. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt19).
    21. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt20).
    22. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt21).
    23. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt22).
    24. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt23).
    25. present: Report tips or prevention guidance is present (txt24).
  • Timepresent25/25

    Final assessment

    Present majority T (txt).

    When the message applies. A timestamp, the word now or immediately, or a phrase like until further notice tells the reader whether the danger is current and how quickly to act.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. present: Time of incident is stated (txt0).
    2. present: Time of incident is stated (txt1).
    3. present: Time of incident is stated (txt2).
    4. present: Time of incident is stated (txt3).
    5. present: Time of incident is stated (txt4).
    6. present: Time of incident is stated (txt5).
    7. present: Time of incident is stated (txt6).
    8. present: Time of incident is stated (txt7).
    9. present: Time of incident is stated (txt8).
    10. present: Time of incident is stated (txt9).
    11. present: Time of incident is stated (txt10).
    12. present: Time of incident is stated (txt11).
    13. present: Time of incident is stated (txt12).
    14. present: Time of incident is stated (txt13).
    15. present: Time of incident is stated (txt14).
    16. present: Time of incident is stated (txt15).
    17. present: Time of incident is stated (txt16).
    18. present: Time of incident is stated (txt17).
    19. present: Time of incident is stated (txt18).
    20. present: Time of incident is stated (txt19).
    21. present: Time of incident is stated (txt20).
    22. present: Time of incident is stated (txt21).
    23. present: Time of incident is stated (txt22).
    24. present: Time of incident is stated (txt23).
    25. present: Time of incident is stated (txt24).
  • Impactabsent0/25

    Final assessment

    Absent majority I (txt).

    What the hazard could do to the people in its path. Beyond naming the threat, a complete warning conveys its potential consequences or severity, such as that a tornado can level buildings or that a leak could be explosive, so recipients grasp how much danger they are in. Research on warning message content finds that a concrete impact statement helps people personalize their risk and act sooner.

    See all 25 individual reads
    1. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt0).
    2. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt1).
    3. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt2).
    4. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt3).
    5. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt4).
    6. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt5).
    7. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt6).
    8. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt7).
    9. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt8).
    10. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt9).
    11. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt10).
    12. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt11).
    13. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt12).
    14. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt13).
    15. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt14).
    16. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt15).
    17. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt16).
    18. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt17).
    19. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt18).
    20. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt19).
    21. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt20).
    22. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt21).
    23. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt22).
    24. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt23).
    25. absent: No explicit severity beyond the incident name (txt24).

Systematic AI judgments with visible reasoning, not human-validated codings.

About this analysis
Context

Background

Clemson reported that students received racially disparaging texts from spoofed numbers; investigation found no indication of a credible threat. Official full text from alerts.clemson.edu.
Analysis

Key Findings

Official CU Alerts archive full-text recovery
Outcome
Investigation ongoing per CU Alerts.
Provenance

Sources

Every claim on this page is meant to be checkable. Open the links below (and the Verify this quote control under each confirmed alert) to read the original university, news, or archive page yourself. Hostnames are shown so you can see where you are going; archived copies survive when live pages move or disappear. See also our methodology.

  1. Official
    CU Alerts
    alerts.clemson.edu
    archived copy
  2. Official
    CU Alerts index
    alerts.clemson.edu
    archived copy
Cite this case

Campus Alert Archive. "Clemson University: Police investigate spoofed biased text messages; no credible threat found." Incident of November 7, 2024. Added July 2026. https://campusalertarchive.com/case/clemson-university-disparaging-text-messages-2024-11-07/

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Alert text quoted on this page remains the work of the issuing institution; the archive is a secondary source.

Tags
clemsonadvisorybiasUnder Investigation
Added July 2026Updated July 2026Via ingestion