Current:Home > FinanceFake White House fire report is latest high-profile swatting attempt: What to know -AlphaFinance Experts
Fake White House fire report is latest high-profile swatting attempt: What to know
View
Date:2025-04-13 21:48:15
The White House became the latest target in a series of high-profile swatting incidents on Monday when a caller falsely reported a fire on the premises.
A fraudster called the tip into 911 around 7 a.m., claiming a fire had trapped someone inside the building, reported NBC News. D.C.'s Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department responded and quickly determined there was no such emergency before law enforcement arrived, preventing the aggressive police response often associated with the act of "swatting."
While no SWAT team or other law enforcement team was dispatched this time around, Noah Gray, the communications director for D.C. fire and EMS, told NBC that the hoax was "in the same spirit” as other recent swatting events.
President Joe Biden and his family were not inside at the time of the call, as they were visiting Camp David in Maryland. However, Biden's press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told the media in a Tuesday conference that the administration plans to “very closely” monitor national occurrences of swatting, especially in the face of a recent increase in incidents targeting public officials.
Here's what to know about swatting, a prank that has evolved into a much more dangerous trend.
Judges in Trump cases face harrassment:Judge in Trump fraud case receives bomb threat at home, authorities say
What is swatting?
Swatting, also written as SWATing, is a form of harassment that entails sending emergency services to an unsuspecting target's location by reporting a false crime to authorities.
Often, the alleged crimes are of an intense or emergency nature, such as a bomb threat, hostage situation, murder or other life-threatening circumstances involving firearms, to prompt a rapid response that doesn't allow authorities time to verify the veracity of the reports.
People making these hoax calls are often doing so either as a form of "prank" or retaliation against the person they're targeting. The false emergencies created by such calls sometimes result in Special Weapons and Tactics, or SWAT, teams responding, hence the term "swatting."
While references to swatting can be found as far back as the early 2000s, many netizens became aware of the practice thanks to online live-streaming platforms including Twitch. Since then, some states have passed legislation outlawing the practice, though law enforcement agencies and the federal government are still struggling to find a broader solution.
Other prominent swatting incidents
Online personalities such as gaming streamers are common victims of swatting, as some perpetrators have been known to call the tips in while the target is live streaming so as to catch police raid on camera.
A 2014 incident with games streamer Jordan Mathewson, also known as "Kootra," saw police breaking into his home and arresting him in the middle of a "Counter-Strike," stream, while another such case turned deadly in 2017 when a Wichita man named Andrew Finch was killed by police after a group of online gamers made false calls to authorities alleging a man in his home had a gun and hostages. The group responsible for the call has since been criminally charged.
Celebrity targets have included the likes of Justin Bieber, Paris Hilton, Miley Cyrus, Chris Brown, Tom Cruise, Ashton Kutcher, Kim Kardashian and several politicians and officials, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, federal judges overseeing Donald Trump's cases, Rep. Brandon Williams and now the current president Joe Biden.
Multiple members of Congress have been swatted since December alone. Along with politicians Williams and Taylor Green, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu was likewise swatted on Christmas day, followed by Sen. Rick Scott of Florida, Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows, and Jack Smith and Tanya Chutkan, the special counsel and the federal judge overseeing three of Trump's federal court cases.
veryGood! (9)
Related
- Connie Chiume, Black Panther Actress, Dead at 72: Lupita Nyong'o and More Pay Tribute
- This 15-minute stick figure exercise can help you find your purpose
- In California, Climate Change Is an ‘Immediate and Escalating’ Threat
- Biden vetoes bill to cancel student debt relief
- Angelina Jolie nearly fainted making Maria Callas movie: 'My body wasn’t strong enough'
- Black Death survivors gave their descendants a genetic advantage — but with a cost
- Selling Sunset's Jason Oppenheim Teases Intense New Season, Plus the Items He Can't Live Without
- Metalloproteins? Breakthrough Could Speed Algae-Based Fuel Research
- Jury selection set for Monday for ex-politician accused of killing Las Vegas investigative reporter
- Today’s Climate: July 29, 2010
Ranking
- Who's hosting 'Saturday Night Live' tonight? Musical guest, how to watch Dec. 14 episode
- Trump EPA Tries Again to Roll Back Methane Rules for Oil and Gas Industry
- They inhaled asbestos for decades on the job. Now, workers break their silence
- King Charles III's Official Coronation Portrait Revealed
- The Daily Money: Disney+ wants your dollars
- A Heat Wave Left Arctic Sea Ice Near a Record Winter Low. This Town Is Paying the Price.
- Paying for mental health care leaves families in debt and isolated
- Keystone I Leak Raises More Doubts About Pipeline Safety
Recommendation
Golf's No. 1 Nelly Korda looking to regain her form – and her spot on the Olympic podium
Two officers fired over treatment of man who became paralyzed in police van after 2022 arrest
Contaminated cough syrup from India linked to 70 child deaths. It's happened before
Today’s Climate: July 19, 2010
Everything Simone Biles did at the Paris Olympics was amplified. She thrived in the spotlight
NASA mission to the sun answers questions about solar wind that causes aurora borealis
Wildfire smoke causes flight delays across Northeast. Here's what to know about the disruptions.
EPA Again Postpones Enbridge Fine for 2010 Kalamazoo River Spill