Officials and universities in a growing number of US states are condemning racist text messages that were sent to black residents this week. The messages, which began appearing Wednesday, were received by people in at least 20 states and the District of Columbia, CBS News found.

There were a number of variations of the messages using similar language, telling the recipient that they were “selected for cotton picking” or to become “a slave”. All texts included instructions, times and dates to be “ready” and references to being picked up in a van. Some included the recipient’s name or general location, according to people who received the texts and screenshots reviewed by CBS News.

In a statement, the FBI said it was aware of “offensive and racist text messages sent to individuals across the country” and said it was in contact with the Department of Justice and other federal authorities.

NAACP President Derrick Johnson condemned the messages and said they represented an “alarming increase in hateful and hateful rhetoric.”

The texts were received by people across the country, including Georgia, Florida, Virginia, Ohio, Alabama, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, MarylandMissouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Massachusetts, Michigan, MinnesotaConnecticut, California, Nevada, New York and Washington, DC, CBS News found.

It is not clear who sent the messages or how many people were involved.

The texts were sent from numbers with area codes in at least 25 different states and D.C., CBS News found. By Thursday, several numbers had been disconnected, while others had gone to voicemail that identified them as users of TextNow, a provider that allows people to create phone numbers for free.

TextNow said in a statement that it “became aware that one or more of our accounts may have been used to send text messages in violation of our terms of service,” adding that it closed the accounts as soon as it became aware.

“We do not condone the use of our service to send harassing or spam messages, and we will work with the authorities to prevent these people from doing so in the future.”

CBS News spoke with one of the people who submitted a version of the text. The person, whose area code was linked to Fort Wayne, Indiana, said the message was a prank before abruptly hanging up. Subsequent requests for comment went unanswered.

Officials report widespread messages

The Virginia Attorney General’s Office told CBS News it is aware of the messages and “unequivocally condemns them,” urging recipients to contact local law enforcement and the FBI if they believe they are under threat.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a statement, “Racist text messages targeting New Yorkers, including middle school, high school and college students, are disgusting and unacceptable,” and encouraged anyone who received one to report him to her office.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in a video posted on social media investigators in her state looking for racist texts and emails and I believe the emails and some texts are from a VPN that originates from Poland.

The Atlanta Police Department in Georgia told CBS News they are aware of the texts and are not investigating at this time, but urged residents to report any suspicious messages.

At least 14 schools and universities reported that students received the texts.

Clemson University of South Carolina Police Department said received reports of students receiving racist texts, while some black students at the University of Alabama also received the messages, according to student newspaper.

Some Ohio State University students also received the texts, school spokesman Benjamin Johnson told CBS News. “We have reported the messages to the Office of Institutional Equity and are providing support services. We are aware that this is happening nationally,” Johnson said.

Lower Merion School District of Pennsylvania warned parents in a letter On Thursday, middle school students received racist text messages. The school district did not characterize what the text messages said.

Montgomery County, Maryland, said in a letter to families and students that local law enforcement and the FBI are aware of the messages and that “policy officers in some areas have announced that they are treating the messages as low-level threats.”

Recipients describe fear

CBS News spoke with two Atlanta residents who reported receiving the messages. Devereaux Adams, 27, said he felt “scared and hurt” when he received the message Wednesday afternoon.

Adams said he’s “very confused” because he can’t say where or how the texter got his contact information. “I don’t feel safe at all,” Adams said.

Another Atlanta resident, Monet Miller, 29, said she felt scared after receiving the messages. She said her friends in North Carolina also got the message.

“I knew it was a hoax, but to see it so soon after the election I was shaken. It just made me more cautious of my surroundings and where I was going,” Miller told CBS News.

Fort Lauderdale resident Corryn G. Freeman said she received a racist text at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday from a local number she did not recognize. “It really sparked fear. It sparked anger. I think they know that I’m a black woman or a black person, which is why they would target me with this kind of inflammatory racism,” Freeman said.

After posting about receiving the message on social media, Freeman said two of her friends contacted her to say their children, both black, had received similar racist text messages.

“It’s not fair that they have to process this level of racism after an election they didn’t participate in. But because of the audacity of whoever is post-election, they are subject to it,” Freeman said.

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