(LEX 18) — Racist text messages that have been reported as spam are being sent to students in Kentucky and across the country.

The widespread message says that the recipient has been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation. It also includes a date and time to be ready.

“This is not a joke. Other people will get hurt or offended like I did with my son,” explains Stephanie, whose daughter is a freshman at Eastern Kentucky University.

She says her daughter and some of her friends received the same text message Wednesday afternoon.

Stephanie shared a portion of that message with LEX 18:

“Greetings. You have been selected to pick cotton at the nearest plantation. Please prepare at 12 am on November 13 sharp with your belongings. Executive slaves will come to pick you up in a brown van. Please prepare to be searched once you have entered the plantation.”

Provided

When asked how she felt when she read the message, Stephanie responded: “Scared. Absolutely scared. There’s no other way to say it. She’s a woman. She’s African-American and first of all, I hate.”

That same night, her daughter received another message. This time it included her name and said, “You have been transferred to Plantation Group A as a house slave.”

“There are so many women out there, not just women, anyone, any skin color can get hurt, and you have to take it seriously with everything that happens,” Stephanie explains.

Chase Gullett is a cybersecurity expert and CEO of Phishing Box.

“I think it’s most likely some kind of state actor or something political, trying to create some kind of vacuum in our community,” Gullett says.

Gullett says it’s important to report it.

“Most iOS devices in newer versions have a way to report an actual text message. That will go to Apple and they will broadcast it to the carriers, whether it’s AT&T or Verizon. That’s the quickest and easiest way to report it,” Gullett says.

It is also the first step in trying to stop spam messages.

“They watch it and, in fact, they’ve restricted it quite a bit in recent years with some laws. There are actual fines that these operators receive, if people go in there and send mass text messages. Believe it or not, it would be more like our accounts email, if they didn’t do that.

Stephanie says messages like this should be taken seriously and hopes those who receive them will report them.

“Even if it’s a joke, don’t joke like that. You scare the parents,” Stephanie says.