As part of its commitment to keeping children safe and update parents with pertinent information, uKnowKids has designed a campaign to inform parents of the importance of teaching kids the repercussions that come with SWAT-ting. uKnowKids wants to ensure that kids understand that “certain calls could cost law enforcement up to $10,000 and that legislators are currently working on a law that will make SWAT-ting a four-year felony.”

1. S.W.A.T.TINGinside a new trend in cyber crime
WHAT IS
S.W.A.T.TING?
Swatting is an attempt to trick an emergency service (such as a 9-1-1
dispatcher) into dispatching an emergency response team. The name is
derived from SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics), one type of such team.
Such actions places law enforcement and citizens at risk and are criminal
actions. In addition it reduces law enforcement officer coverage and costs
taxpayer money.
HOW
S.W.A.T.TING
WORKS:
THEreprocussions
Depending on what resources are deployed, certain calls
could cost law enforcement up to $10,000.
Many times, law enforcement uses the majority of their
resources to respond to these false calls creating longer
response times for real emergencies.
Legislators are working on a law that will make S.W.A.T.ting
a four-year felony crime.
Lawmakers are also pushing for punishment to include
reimbursement of all costs associated with the bogus call.
the methods
Many S.W.A.T.ters use a service like
Spoofcard to disguise the origin of the
prank call. These services also allow the
user to disguise their voice and add
background sound effects.
Other methods that S.W.A.T.ters use
include Skype, pre-paid cell phones and
paying an anonymous person to commit
the “prank”.
the reasons
From the evidence collected in each case,
it appears that an act of S.W.A.T.ting is
committed as vengeful act on the victim.
Many teens who engage in online gaming,
chat rooms or social media may be at risk
of a S.W.A.T threat.
Currently, even politicians are being
targeted from S.W.A.T.ting attacks as
retaliation for certain beliefs or principles
they have openly expressed.
KEEP
YOUR KIDS
TIPS TO
SAFE
NEWSIN THE
In June, a SWAT team arrived at a Long Island home in
NY after receiving a call from a 17-year old claiming that
he had shot and killed his mother and brother and that
he might shoot others, only to learn that call was a hoax
triggered by the loser of a “Call of Duty” video game.
Police are still trying to identify the prankster, he called
911 using Skype. Police stated that this SWATting prank
cost the department around $100,000.
In 2012, an unidentified teen sent the SWAT team, along
with a bomb-detecting robot, to a Sarasota, Florida
residence claiming that he had killed his family, and had
a C-4 bomb attached to his body, threatening to
detonate. Upon arrival, the 26-year old resident was
handcuffed and his home was ransacked for evidence.
In 2011, a 16-year old from Boston called 911 claiming
that his home was being raided by several men with
guns. The boy directed the report to a Troy, Michigan
residence. The police responded to the call, finding a
woman and teen boy walking to a vehicle outside the
home. When the officers approached the home, the
teen began yelling, “Swatting! It’s a prank!” The teen
responsible had threatened to “S.W.A.T.” the Troy teen
while the two played online video games
REFRENCES
www.hackforums.net
www.spoofcards.com
www.dailytribune.com
www.theoaklandexpress.com
www.wikipedia.com
www.huffingtonpost.com
Educate yourself and your children about the
dangers of S.W.A.T.ting
Communicate with your child about the
severity of this so-called “prank”
Have rules and monitor your child’s actions online
Report any suspicious activity
DO
DON’T
Assume that blocking or filtering software will
protect your child from S.W.A.T.ting
Believe that there is nothing you can do to stop
your child or family from being a victim of
S.W.A.T.ting
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT
HOW TO PROTECT YOUR CHILD
& OTHER CYBERCRIMES
VISIT www.uKnowkids.com