ATLANTA — After several Georgia schools were targeted with false reports of active shooters, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and the Atlanta Federal Bureau of Investigation are now assisting in the investigation.

During the past week, hoaxes and false alarms have impacted at least a dozen college campuses, including several schools across Georgia.

FBI Atlanta released the following statement:

“We are aware of recent swatting incidents involving a number of colleges and entities throughout the state of Georgia and are working with our law enforcement partners. The FBI is seeing an increase in swatting events across the country and we take potential hoax threats very seriously because it puts innocent people at risk. Knowingly providing false information to emergency service agencies about a possible threat to life drains law enforcement resources, costs thousands of dollars, and most importantly, puts innocent people at risk. We work closely with our law enforcement partners to determine their credibility, share information, and take appropriate investigative action. As always, we encourage members of the public to remain vigilant and immediately report anything they consider suspicious to law enforcement.”

On Monday, authorities responded to reports of active shooters at the University of Arkansas, Northern Arizona University, Iowa State, Kansas State, the University of Colorado-Boulder, and the University of New Hampshire.

Students at Georgia State University were also alerted to a threat at nearby Hughes Spalding Hospital in Atlanta, while Mercer University in Macon ordered students to shelter in place after a threatening 911 call. Nothing dangerous was found in either case, officials said.

Additional hoax threats were reported Tuesday at the University of Kentucky, West Virginia University, and Central Georgia Technical College. On Aug. 21, a report of an active shooter on the Villanova University campus also turned out to be a hoax, investigators say.