Overview

• Hoax active-shooter calls that began on August 21 triggered lockdowns at campuses including Villanova University and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga before spreading to roughly a dozen schools.
• Extremism researchers say Purgatory members used VoIP to mask identities and livestreamed their calls on Discord, with recordings capturing staged gunshot sounds and real-time reactions.
• The Global Project Against Hate and Extremism and other researchers provided audio and screenshots linking the group to calls targeting Bucknell University and a false report at the King of Prussia Mall.
• A review of Purgatory’s Telegram channel shows the group marketing swatting and other criminal services, with listed prices rising in recent days; the figure of $100,000 in earnings was claimed by the source and not independently verified.
• The FBI says it is investigating an increase in swatting, and previous prosecutions tied to Purgatory members, including a recent guilty plea by founder Evan Strauss, underscore law enforcement’s ongoing focus on the network.