Creepy clown photos on the rise in Alberta

Jessica Willard and Rodney Marleau shared this video of a clown they took in Marlborough recently. (Facebook)

October is generally associated with a month of chills and thrills as everyone prepares for Halloween, but many people in Alberta are getting an early jump on the scares.

Hundreds of creepy clown photos are circulating on social media and authorities are taking them very seriously.

Mounties in Fort Saskatchewan circulated a photo of a costumed clown taken on Wednesday night, alerting residents to the issue.

Four teens came forward to police to reveal the identity of the person in the photo who then turned himself in.

He told RCMP he didn’t know how much attention the mask would draw and it was in simple fun.

Police are very concerned about the trend, saying that the phenomenon has the potential to lead to threats, which must be taken seriously.

In Edmonton, police charged two teens with making threats involving clowns against a pair of schools.

Another taunt prompted a lockdown at another high school in the city.

Meanwhile, Calgary police say they have not gotten any information that there is any threat to public safety here.

Officials say they’ve received Facebook messages from people saying images have been found online, but there are no reports of any people being accosted by the costumed pranksters.

But rumours have been spreading that clowns have been seen at a number of city high schools.

Worried parents and students say that there have been lockdowns and messages from administrators.

The Calgary Board of Education says it is not aware of any particular incidents.

Nevertheless, CPS say that if anyone sees anyone suspicious or receives a specific threat, they should report it to them immediately.