Overview

• At least 19 confirmed false active‑shooter reports have hit U.S. colleges since Aug. 19, including Mercer, Wisconsin–Madison, Utah and New Hampshire, with several campuses locking down.
• The FBI says it is seeing an increase in swatting nationwide and is investigating with state and local partners, as Georgia’s GBI and FBI Atlanta probe new threats affecting a hospital and Mercer University.
• Anti‑extremism researchers from GPAHE and Marc‑André Argentino released audio and chat evidence tying many calls to an online subgroup called Purgatory, though police have not publicly named a responsible group.
• A person using the alias Gores told WIRED he helps lead Purgatory and has placed many hoax calls, advertising paid swattings that researchers say rose from about $20 to roughly $95 during the spree.
• The hoaxes triggered large multi‑agency responses, injuries during evacuations at the University of South Carolina and the misidentification of an innocent student, as experts urge stronger laws and better caller‑ID tools.