Recent cases of swatting prompted area authorities to address the issue.
Swatting is a term used to describe the action of making hoax phone calls to report serious crimes requiring emergency services.
People who carry out a “swatting” prank aim to fool emergency services into sending a Special Weapons And Tactics (SWAT) team to respond to the supposed emergency, said Wood County Sheriff Mark Wasylyshyn.
So-called swatters will falsely report major events such as bomb threats, hostage situations and murders to encourage the most serious response.
Often intended as a prank, swatting can have serious consequences when SWAT teams respond to them.
Anyone can fall victim to swatting, with reported incidents targeting celebrities and public figures.
“On the national level the Whitehouse was falsely reported to be on fire; on the state level, the attorney general and state representatives were victims, and I was a victim,” the sheriff said, adding, “Fortunately, my dispatchers recognized my address and immediately called me and realized I was fine before anyone was dispatched to my house.”
Dispatchers and first responders must assume the caller is truthful until determined otherwise, he explained.
In December, State Representative Haraz Ghanbari was swatted, and a few weeks ago a random family in Rossford became a victim of this practice.
According to Sheriff Wasylyshyn, the caller in the Rossford incident said he was going to shoot his infant brother and then himself. First responders arrived on scene quickly and were able to determine it was a swatting call.
“We are blessed that no one was injured,” he said.
Swatters carry out sophisticated, targeted attacks in which they use software to hide their identity and location.
In addition, the types of phones used to make calls and the calls themselves can come from anywhere in the world and are difficult to trace, the sheriff pointed out.
All cases are investigated and when the person is identified the consequences are severe, especially if someone is harmed.
The sheriff offers tips to anyone who may find themselves a victim of this type of attack:
•Stay cool. If police are banging down the door or setting up a perimeter around the house, keep a level head and remain calm. Don’t rush out or make sudden movements. Unexpected, jerky actions could be mistaken for hostility and lead to a shooting.
•Cooperate with officers. While police swarming the home may be annoying and frightening, remember to cooperate with them. They will sort out the prank more quickly if you do as they ask. Let them search the home and make sure there is not, in fact, a hostage or other situation.
•File a police report. Swatting is illegal. It is basically a false report of a crime or misuse of the 911 system, with the added danger of potentially getting the victim killed. Initiate legal action against whoever made the call.
•Call the phone company to see if they are able to track down the caller who spoofed your phone number.
