UPDATE 3:25-p.m.: The Atlantic Police Department has issued a warning to local businesses in the area. There is currently an email scam going around the state of Iowa. The email is titled “We Can Make A Deal” and includes a message with a bomb threat. They state you must send $20,000 in Bitcoin or an explosive will detonate in your business. If you receive an email like this, know it is a scam but please feel free to call the Atlantic Police Department at 712-243-3512.

Authorities in central Iowa are investigating a rash of bomb scares at area businesses as part of a nation-wide series of threats. The e-mailed threats have been reported at several Des Moines businesses, according to KCCI, including a jewelry store, the Blank Park Zoo, a law firm and other, unrelated companies. The threats started at around 12:20-p.m. The last known threat occurred at around 1:30-p.m.

Businesses in Waterloo and Cedar Falls were also reporting the e-mail threats, which authorities say have been happened since late November all across the country, in 15 different states. The persons responsible claim to want payment in the form of Bitcoin digital currency to stop the “bomb” from going off.

If your business receives such a threat by e-mail, notify your local police department through their Non-Emergency number.