Multiple businesses in the Cedar Valley have been targeted with bomb threats.

According to Waterloo police, six local merchants reported receiving a threat on Thursday (Dec. 13, 2018). Authorities are also investigating as many as four reports in Cedar Falls.

Waterloo police said the threats came through emails and continue to appear in various inboxes. Authorities described the threats as "generally generic in nature". The threats claim that a bomb has been planted in the building, then demands either money or Bitcoin digital currency. The threats do not mention the company name or an exact location.

Police and federal authorities are investigating the threats. Anyone with information is asked to call their local law enforcement agency or contact the FBI.

In a press release, Waterloo police said local officers have spoken with federal authorities about the email threats and investigators don't believe they are credible. The disturbing emails are part of a series of nation-wide threats that have hit at least 15 states since Nov. 30.

According to other media outlets, businesses in Waterloo and Cedar Falls weren't the only ones in Iowa that received the threats. WHO-TV in Des Moines reported that some local businesses there -- and others in Nevada -- were sent similar emails. In a website blog, KCRG said the television station was among four Cedar Rapids businesses that also received threats.

Sources: WHO-TV, KCRG

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