Recently several cabinet of nominees US President-elect Donald Trump were subjected to bomb threats and swatting. Read this article further to know more about swatting. Karoline Leavitt has stated that several Swatting threats were faced by the nominees on Tuesday and Wednesday. Leavitt also stated that the official authorities have taken steps to ensure the safety of the nominees.
An FBI official stated that they are aware of the Swatting threats and have taken the necessary action. The officials also stated that they are taking the threats seriously and have told the public to report incidents that they find suspicious.
Elise Stafanik, Matt Gaetz, and Lee Zeldin are some of the nominees who received swatting threats.
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Swatting Explained
Swatting is when a fake call is made to the emergency number and informs the officials that a life-threatening incident is happening, then the SWAT teams will arrive at the situation which leads to unfair incidences. It is a prank where the emergency team has to respond to a hoax victim as the Special Weapons and Tactics team has to arrive at the situation for an encounter.
The individuals who do swatting utilize modern technology as they want the emergency team to know that the incoming call is coming from an actual victim. Swatting is a crime where fake 911 or emergency calls are made.
This crime is done as revenge or a prank but will have serious aftereffects. Most of the swatting cases are mainly done by local law enforcement agencies but the FBI gives resources to investigate these kinds of cases.
Swatting incidents increased in 2024
Cybersecurity officials in America have stated that the Swatting cases have increased significantly with the US presidential elections in 2024. Different Swatting incidents were reported across the US. The Swatting incidents mainly targeted election workers in the election campaigns. There was a surge in the number of Swatting attacks during the US presidential election time.
Swatting incidents are used to harass the public, businesses, and also government officials. Swatting also targets celebrities, journalists company officials, and famous institutions. The investigation agencies have provided detailed guidance on how to face the Swatting attack. The officials have also given instructions on how to respond to Swatting threats
Swatting attacks are done to disturb critical operation systems and to harass individuals. This is also done to disrupt the functioning of emergency operation cells as they can divert officials from attending actual emergency situations.
Conclusion
In this article, we have discussed Swatting in detail. It is a criminal activity done to divert the attention of the emergency operations department. Swatting threats are faced by different famous personalities across the country. This crime activity is also done against company executives and religious institutions. The public must be aware of the Swatting activities and should know how to respond to Swatting threats. This activity is also done to divert attention to perform other criminal activities.
