Reports of a possible violent gang initiation at a local Wal-Mart store Wednesday turned out to be a hoax taking place via text messages across the country, according to local police.

Portage Police Chief Mark Becker said Portage police received a call from the Gary Police Department just after 4 p.m. Wednesday said some students there received text messages saying there was going to be a violent gang initiation at a Wal-Mart store. The threats did not reveal a specific location.

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Locally, the stores are located in Portage, Valparaiso, Hobart and Hammond.

Hammond Police Lt. Richard Hoyda said their department also received information about a potential threat Wednesday afternoon and notified store managers at 1828 165th St. Hammond also had extra patrols of the lot throughout the night on Wednesday, Hoyda said.

Hobart Police Chief Rod Gonzalez said his department was contacted as well and sent extra patrols to the Wal-Mart at 2936 E. 79th Ave.

"We figured out on our own around 8 p.m. by searching the internet that it was a hoax, but you never know if someone might start something after hearing about it, so we left the patrols beefed up there on afternoons and midnights, just to stay visible," Gonzalez said.

Valparaiso police also took action because there is a Wal-Mart in the city at 2400 Morthland Drive.

"We received the same rumors (that a shooting might occur)," said Valparaiso police Sgt. Michael Grennes.

"We took precautions. We had extra officers at Wal-Mart last night as well as foot patrols in the area."

Portage has a representative on the Gang Response Investigative Team, Becker said, who was contacted as well as the FBI.

"The FBI had no information to corroborate on it," Becker said.

Local law enforcement units as well as the FBI responded to the Portage Wal-Mart at 6087U.S. 6. Portage's new Stop-It team, created in January to address specific crime issues or sprees, was also called in to the Portage store patrols, Becker said, as well as the reserve units and the Porter Police Department.

Units remained on scene throughout the night looking for any suspicious activity, Becker said, but saw nothing.

"We just wanted to be prepared and take a pro-active stance," Becker said. "We reacted appropriately ... When we can, we err on the side of safety."

The department later learned similar text messages have been circulating across the country, alleging the same threat of gang violence at Wal-Mart stores. Internet searches indicate it is a hoax, he said.

"You have to wonder how many tens or thousands of millions of dollars this has cost law enforcement agencies across the country trying to be pro-active with these kind of bogus threats," Becker said. "We received a lot of calls and it scared a lot of people."

Becker said it was unfortunate that the hoax may have also scared shoppers away from a local business, which is open 24-hours a day.

-- Times Staff Writer Ken Kosky contributed to this report.