Brandon Stutts discusses a new trend sweeping the nation, “Swatting”, a phenomenon where online gamers call SWAT teams on their friends.

1. “Swatting” Call A SWAT Team on Your Friends! !
Wethersfield, Connecticut native, Matthew Tollis is accused in an affidavit filed in federal court of
actively assisting in seven swatting calls. Swatting is a prank in which the aggressors hijack
victims’ social media accounts, and refuse to surrender control unless the victim calls in a false
emergency necessitating a response by heavily-armed swat teams. Tollis was a member of a
group that reportedly targeted seven different locations with swatting pranks including Sandy
Hook Elementary School, the site of the horrific shooting of 2012.! ! This type of dangerous prank is apparently very popular amongst a group of Xbox gamers who,
according to Tolis, threatened to post personal information online and even engaged in “pizza
bombing” in which the perpetrators sent a flurry of pizza orders to victims’ residences forcing
them to pay for the food.! !
According to the federal document Tolis
joined one these groups of gamers that
engaged in this swatting prank to protect
himself from being bullied in such
fashion. The groups members are said to
come from across the United States and
from Britain. The calls made threatened
two high schools in New Jersey, and one
in both Florida and Texas. Additionally,
Boston University and the Boston
Convention and Exhibition Center were
victims of the group’s antics. Tolis
conveniently denies ever placing one of
these calls, but does admit to laughing at
them while the others were on the
phone. He, reportedly, did not tell
authorities as he was scared to become
a victim of the same pranks at which he
laughed.! !
Brian Krebs, a cyber-security expert, explains the highly precarious nature of these pranks as
swat teams are forced to take these calls seriously and are on edge as they enter these sites.
Simply put, a lot can go wrong in these situations.!
After being contacted, Microsoft representatives denied any wrongdoing or responsibility for the
matter, and repeated that these heinous actions categorically violates their terms of use in Xbox
live. Additionally, they have a team dedicated to searching the Xbox live community for such
illegal transgressions.! ! The Federal Bureau of Investigation is carrying out an ongoing investigation, and is expecting to
make more arrests.