Swatting

Bomb threats were a concern to police in the 1970s, with some public buildings such as airports being evacuated in response to hoax calls that were designed to cause mass panic and public disruption,[10][11] or to delay exams at educational institutions.[12][13] In recent decades, hoax callers sometimes make use of techniques to disguise their identity or country of origin.[14]

Swatting has origins in prank calls to emergency services. Over the years, callers used increasingly sophisticated techniques to direct response units of particular types. In particular, attempts to have SWAT teams be dispatched to particular locations spawned the term swatting. The term was used by the FBI as early as 2008,[15] and has also entered into Oxford Dictionaries Online in 2015.[16]

Caller ID spoofing, social engineering, TTY, prank calls, and phone phreaking techniques may be variously combined by swatting perpetrators. 911 systems (including computer telephony systems and human operators) have been tricked by calls placed from cities hundreds of miles away from the location of the purported call, or even from other countries.[17] The caller typically places a 911 call using a spoofed phone number (so as to hide the fraudulent caller's real location) with the goal of tricking emergency authorities into responding with a SWAT team to a fabricated emergency.

Swatting is linked to the action of doxing, which is obtaining and broadcasting, often via the Internet, the address and details of an individual with an intent to harass or endanger them.[18]

In October 2018, the Seattle Police Department took a three-pronged approach to combating swatting: educating 911 dispatchers to identify potential swatting calls, ensuring responding officers are aware of the potential for a hoax situation, and creating an opt-in registry for people who fear that they might become victims of swatting, such as journalists, celebrities, or live streamers. Using the registry, these people can provide cautionary information to the police, which will inform officers responding to potential swatting attempts targeted at the victim's address.[5][19]

Security reporter Brian Krebs recommends that police departments take extra care when responding to calls received at their non-emergency numbers, or through text-to-speech services (TTY), since these methods are often employed by out-of-area swatters who cannot connect to the regional 911 center.[20]^: 1

In September 2019, the Seattle Police Department formed the Swatting Mitigation Advisory Committee, a group of subject matter experts, both community and police representatives. The purpose of the committee is to better understand swatting by collecting and analyzing data, formalizing protocols, and advocating for broader awareness and prevention. The committee is currently co-chaired by Naveed Jamali and Sean Whitcomb, creator of the anti-swatting registry.[21]

In 2013, a number of U.S. celebrities became the victims of swatting, including Sean Combs (P. Diddy).[48] In the past, there have been swatting incidents at the residences of Ashton Kutcher, Tom Cruise, Chris Brown, Miley Cyrus, Iggy Azalea, Jason Derulo, Snoop Dogg, Justin Bieber, and Clint Eastwood.[8]

In 2013, a network of fraudsters involved in carding and doxing of public officials using stolen credit reports targeted computer security expert Brian Krebs with malicious police reports.[49][50] Mir Islam, the leader of the group, had also used swatting hoaxes against prosecutor Stephen P. Heymann, congressman Mike Rogers, and against a girl he was cyberstalking who turned down his romantic proposals. Islam was convicted for doxing and swatting over 50 public figures, including Michelle Obama, Robert Mueller, John Brennan as well as Krebs, and was sentenced to two years in prison.[51] The Ukrainian computer hacker Sergey Vovnenko was convicted of trafficking in stolen credit cards, as well as planning to purchase heroin, ship it to Brian Krebs, and then swat him.[52] He was sentenced to 15 months in prison in Italy, and 41 months in prison in New Jersey.[53]

In April 2013 California State Senator Ted Lieu, who at the time pushed for anti-swatting laws in the state, was swatted.[54]

Hal Finney, a paralyzed computer scientist with ALS, was swatted in 2014 after refusing to pay a $400,000 ransom. Finney faced cold, unsafe conditions on his lawn for a half hour while police were clearing his house. He continued receiving threats until his death in August 2014.[55]

Due to the popularity of streaming services, many broadcasters became the victim of swatting. Two weeks after the Fortnite World Cup Finals, where 16-year-old "Kyle "Bugha" Giersdorf" won $3 million and the title of best solo Fortnite player, he was swatted while streaming live on Twitch.[56] Ben "DrLupo" Lupo stated he was swatted three times in one month.[57] Other popular gaming broadcasters have been victims of swatting, including Tyler "Ninja" Blevins.[58]

In July 2022, Emmet G. Sullivan, a U.S. federal judge presiding over cases pertaining to the January 6 United States Capitol attack, was the victim of a swatting incident.[59]

On August 5, 2022, Canadian transgender streamer and political commentator Clara "Keffals" Sorrenti was swatted at her home by unknown individuals who impersonated her, and sent a threatening email and photo of an illegal firearm to London city councillors. It is presumed this is due to a harassment campaign carried out by Kiwi Farms, dating back to March 21, 2022.[60] Sorrenti claims she was repeatedly misgendered and deadnamed by London Police officers, and placed into custody for 11 hours before being released without charges. Sorrenti states she believes the incident to be a hate crime, as a result of prejudice and harassment towards transgender people due to anti-LGBTQ movements within the United States.[61] The London Police Service responded with a statement from Chief of Police Steve Williams. He asserts that while he cannot confirm any language used before Sorrenti's arrest, she was not addressed by her deadname or previous gender while inside the agency's holding cells. He also states any reference to Sorrenti's deadname during the investigation seems to stem from the existence of prior police reports she had accumulated before this event.[62] Three other streamers, Adin Ross, Nadia Amine, and IShowSpeed, were also swatted the same week as Sorrenti.[63]

In August 2022, U.S. representative Marjorie Taylor Greene was swatted in Georgia by a caller who allegedly opposed Greene's stances on transgender rights.[64]

• Computer security
• Mobbing

• "The Crime of 'Swatting' — Fake 9-1-1 Calls Have Real Consequences". Federal Bureau of Investigation. September 3, 2013. Archived from the original on May 27, 2023.
• Wilson, Simone (November 8, 2012). "SWATting, a Deadly Political Game". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on October 14, 2022.
• Sterling, Bruce (November 30, 2007). "Guilty Plea: Phone Phreaks Use Caller-ID Spoofing to Get Foes Raided By SWAT | Threat Level from Wired.com". Wired. Archived from the original on February 4, 2023.
• Omega, Jan (September 8, 2014). "Teenager Receiving Life In Prison For 'Swatting' Gamer Is A Satirical Hoax Which Stirred Social Media". Inquisitr. Archived from the original on December 21, 2022.
• Klepek, Patrick (February 17, 2015). "Meet A Teenager Who Says He's A Swatter". Kotaku. Archived from the original on April 25, 2023.