It is the season of scares, as we have seen a rash of news reports about threats across India. These threats, most of them through social media, have come to nothing, and many of these were by pranksters seeking attention, even if anonymously, for a lark or just because they wanted some kind of reaction.

It is time to start upping awareness about how these prank threats are the epitome of uncool. Authorities/leaders/decision makers, especially those in charge of railways and aviation, need to post warnings of stern action against pranksters on their websites. Similarly, even if we have a couple of billboards citing this as an offence and warning about punishment, we will see awareness grow against these foolish tricks and attention-seeking gimmicks that can upend lives.