Attorney General Aaron Ford announced that anonymous racist robotext messages have been sent to Nevada residents. The messages have targeted Black Americans across the U.S. warranting a multi-state, federal investigation. CBS news found that the messages, which began appearing Wednesday, were received by people in at least 17 states.

“Our office has been made aware of vile, racist messages being sent to Nevada residents which reference enslavement and forced labor,” Attorney General Aaron Ford’s office wrote in a statement. “Due to the morally abhorrent and extremely racist nature of the messages, we will not publicly share the specific messages that have been received,” the office said.

Screenshots of the texts reviewed by CBS news reveal that “There were a number of variations of the messages using similar language, telling the recipient they had been “selected for cotton picking” or to become “a slave.” All of the 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.”

Ford took to social media to warn people that his office protects free speech, but that “it will not tolerate unlawful conduct.”

The FBI released the following statement encouraging those who have received the messages to contact local law enforcement: “The FBI is aware of the offensive and racist text messages sent to individuals around the country and is in contact with the Justice Department and other federal authorities on the matter. As always, we encourage members of the public to report threats of physical violence to local law enforcement authorities.”

Nevada authorities recommend victims  to file a complaint with the attorney general’s office.