Steve Neavling
ticklethewire.com
The FBI is warning local law enforcement about a hoax called “swatting.”
Using technology to hack a phone, prank callers are pretending to be shooters or victims of a shooting to draw SWAT teams to a house of unsuspecting people.
“The FBI looks at these crimes as a public safety issue,” said Kevin Kolbye, an assistant special agent in charge in our Dallas Division. “It’s only a matter of time before somebody gets seriously injured as a result of one of these incidents.”
The FBI cited close calls, including one in which a police offer was injured in a car crash while responding to a “swatting” incident. Some unsuspecting victims even suffered mild heart attacks, according to the FBI.
The emergency responders “believe they have a violent subject to apprehend or an innocent victim to rescue,” Kolbye said. “It’s a dangerous situation any way you look at it.”
The FBI has made some “swatting” arrests, including of 18-year-old Matthew Weigman.
