'SWAT'ting: Dangerous Trend Amongst Hackers

A new hacking trend is surging within the United States and Canada and it’s proving to be more costly than ever.

Called
“Swatting,” the latest hacking trend involves hackers breaking into
people’s phones to make prank 911 calls that sound violent enough to
dispatch a SWAT team. The SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) team
arrives to the address provided by the hacker and breaks in just to find
people shocked, confused, and extremely terrified for having various
men point automatic weapons at them.

One incident involved a
15-year-old boy from Naples, Fla., Hunter Gelinas. According to ABCNews,
he had his X-Box hacked by swatters who sent a message to the police
saying Hunter was stabbed and his family members were being held
hostages.

When the SWAT team had finally arrived to the scene,
they found Hunter coming out of his room. When the teen noticed all the
guns, he thought “I’m going to die.”

These prank calls do not only make way for innocent people to suffer accidents but according to ABCNews, they can be costly too.

The media outlet reported that costs of dispatching a SWAT team at one location can average $10,000.

There are reported to be several dozens of swatting prank calls made every month in the U.S. and Canada.