Swatting

Swatting is a form of cybercrime. It involves calling the police on someone and claiming that they are going to commit a crime. Swatting can result in death.[1]

Countermeasures: In 2023, the FBI said that it would create a database (about swatting incidents, or) to track swattings. The FBI was also said it would improve information-sharing with local police agencies (or police departments).[2]

On July 17, 2025, U.S. President Donald Trump signed legislation which increased penalties for individuals who commit swatting offenses. For instance, individuals who are caught making more than 10 false 9/11 calls can face a mandatory minimum 10 years in prison. For people who call in fake bomb threats, they can face up to 20 years in federal prison. For swatting incidents which result in seriously bodily injury to death, individuals can face a minimum of 50 years up to a maximum of life in prison.

References

  1. ↑ Foxy, Catto. "What is swatting?". Cloudflare. Retrieved October 16, 2024.
  2. ↑ Ward, Jacob; Kolodny, Lora (2023-06-29). "The FBI has formed a national database to track and prevent 'swatting' - Advances in technology allow callers to mask their voices, phone numbers or IP addresses (also called "spoofing") or make their false 911 calls sound more credible". NBC News. By 2019, there were an estimated 1,000 swatting incidents domestically each year, according to a report from the Anti-Defamation League, and each incident is estimated to cost at least $10,000 to affected communities, even before expenditures on follow-up work like investigations, property repairs and counseling.
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