Reports of Creepy Clowns Spread to More Cities: 'It Is Not Funny,' Police Say

There have been more clowns in more cities spotted lurking in the woods. 

Police in the Carolinas have received more than a dozen reports in the last month from people claiming clowns, some with white-painted faces, were acting strangely in the area – at least once attempting to lure kids into the woods with money. 

The reports have fueled speculation that the sightings could be a hoax, or possibly even morbid fans trying to promote the 2017 movie release of Stephen King's It, about an evil clown known as Pennywise that terrorized a group of young boys. 

One local TV station wondered if Rob Zombie's upcoming film, about a group of kidnapped carnival workers, might be involved in guerrilla marketing – but the distributor said they were not. 

"If this is a hoax or publicity stunt it is not funny," Greensboro police spokeswoman Susan Danielsen tells PEOPLE. "It is alarming to the public and a drain on police resources. We just don't know at this point, because we haven't had the chance to interview any clowns." ...