Downtown Petaluma business receives email bomb threat demanding Bitcoin

Petaluma Police said the threat isn’t specific to Petaluma, with similar emails being received at businesses nationwide.|

A downtown Petaluma business received a bomb threat by email Thursday morning, claiming a device in the building would be detonated if a demand for cryptocurrency wasn’t met, police said.

Petaluma Police responded to an office located on the 100 block of Keller Street at approximately 11:01 a.m., and found there was no credible evidence related to the email.

According to news reports, spammers have sent threats demanding Bitcoin to businesses, schools and other organizations across the country, prompting numerous evacuations and law enforcement investigations.

Police confirmed Thursday’s threat is not specific to Petaluma, and advised any other recipients to not click on the link in the email.

Additionally, police are recommending all businesses follow their procedures for handling suspicious packages and bomb threats. In the event that a suspicious device or package is located, do not touch them and contact local law enforcement, police said.

(Contact News Editor Yousef Baig at yousef.baig@arguscourier.com or 776-8461, and on Twitter @YousefBaig.)

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