As reported on The Verge.
By Amar Toor
If you happened to be watching the Steve Wilkos Show in Great Falls, Montana yesterday, you may have had your viewing interrupted by a strange emergency alert warning of a statewide zombie apocalypse. Fortunately for everyone, it was just a hoax.
As the Associated Press reports, it appears that Great Falls affiliate KRTV was hacked by a prankster intent on spreading mistruths about walking corpses. “The bodies of the dead are rising from their graves and are attacking the living,” the station’s emergency announcer said. “Do not attempt to approach or apprehend these bodies, as they are considered extremely dangerous.” According to the Great Falls Tribune, at least four people called in to local police asking whether the alert was real.
“THERE IS NO EMERGENCY.”
KRTV later confirmed that its emergency alert system had been hacked, adding that it was currently investigating hte situation to see whether any other affiliates were affected. “Someone apparently hacked into the Emergency Alert System and announced on KRTV and the CW that there was an emergency in several Montana counties,” KRTV said in a statement published to its website. “This message did not originate from KRTV, and there is no emergency.”