What is swatting?
Definition
Swatting is making a hoax emergency call, often claiming an immediate threat to life, to send armed police or a SWAT team to a victim's address. It's done to harass, intimidate or retaliate, and it can be deadly.
- Category
- Attacks
- Also called
- swatting hoax
- Last updated
Swatting gets its name from SWAT teams, the specialized police units sent to violent incidents. In a swatting call, someone phones emergency services and invents a crisis at a target's address: a hostage situation, a shooting, a bomb. The FBI describes swatting as a hoax call meant to bring a large law enforcement response to a location.
How a swatting call works
The caller needs two things: a believable story and the target's address. They often use spoofing to make the call look like it came from the victim's phone or a local number. Some offenders have also taken over smart home devices, per the FBI. Police then arrive ready for a violent situation, at the home of someone who did nothing.
Why it's dangerous
Officers are told to expect an armed, dangerous person. Residents woken by officers at the door may panic. The FBI warns that responders and residents can be hurt, and that swatting wastes emergency resources that may be needed elsewhere. It is also a crime: federal prosecutors have said it isn't a prank.
Swatting and doxxing
Swatting often follows doxxing, because the caller must know where the target lives. A person who is angry at a streamer, a gamer or a stranger from an online argument finds the home address on a people-search site or in public records, then sends police there.
A typical case: someone livestreams a game, a viewer finds the streamer's address online, and a few weeks later police surround the house during a broadcast.
Swatting vs. related terms
- Doxxing is publishing private details. Swatting is a fake emergency report, and it often uses those details.
- Spoofing is faking the phone number shown. It's a tool swatters use to hide who is calling.
How to protect yourself
- 1
Keep your home address hard to find
Swatters need your address. Remove it from people-search sites and public listings where you can. Serus finds where your address is listed and removes it, and re-checks as listings come back.
- 2
Secure your smart devices
Use strong, unique passwords and two-step verification on cameras, doorbells and speakers, and keep their software updated. The FBI has flagged smart devices that are taken over to make swatting look real.
- 3
Think about your online footprint if you're a public figure
Streamers, creators and public figures are frequent targets. Keep your location off live streams and don't show house numbers, street signs or recognizable surroundings.
- 4
Tell local police if you're at risk
If you've been threatened or doxxed, tell your local police department and save screenshots of the threats.
- 5
Report swatting
The FBI asks people to report swatting to local police and to the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
See where your personal data is exposed
Serus finds it on data brokers and people-search sites and removes it.
Frequently asked
Is swatting illegal?
Yes. Making a false emergency report is a crime, and the FBI and federal prosecutors have pursued swatting cases that ended in prison terms. Penalties depend on the law where it happens and on whether anyone was hurt.
Who gets swatted?
Anyone can, but the usual targets are streamers, gamers, journalists, public officials and people who got into an online dispute. What they share is a findable address.
What should I do if police show up because of a hoax call?
Follow the officers' instructions and tell them what you know. Afterward, report it to the FBI and local police and save any threats or messages that came before it.
Is swatting the same as doxxing?
No. Doxxing is publishing someone's private details. Swatting is a fake emergency call. Swatting often follows doxxing, because the caller needs the victim's address.
Sources
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