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Swatting Hoaxes Sweep U.S. College Campuses as Fall Term Begins

The FBI is investigating an uptick using a national database to track patterned calls.

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So-called "swatting" hoaxes have targeted US universities as students return to campuses for fall classes
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Overview

  • At least a dozen universities reported false active-shooter calls over the past week, with responses Monday and Tuesday at Arkansas, Northern Arizona, Iowa State, Kansas State, Colorado Boulder, New Hampshire, Kentucky, West Virginia, and Central Georgia Technical College.
  • Earlier incidents at Villanova, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, and the University of South Carolina followed a similar script of multiple calls and background audio mimicking gunfire, prompting extensive searches before authorities found no threat.
  • The FBI says swatting events are increasing nationwide and notes thousands of incidents logged since it created a law-enforcement database in 2023, as agents coordinate with local departments on current campus cases.
  • Student trauma and resource strain continue to mount, with South Carolina reporting two minor injuries during a library evacuation and a student wrongly labeled a gunman online after a video circulated, including a post by Rep. Nancy Mace.
  • Security experts urge stronger laws, better caller identification and carrier enforcement, and public vigilance, warning that repeated hoaxes risk desensitizing communities and carry serious federal penalties for offenders.