14 DAY TRIAL // We've heard of this type of attacks in the past, but it seems like some teenagers find swatting pretty funny and try to set up pranks every once in a while. The latest report comes from California, where an innocent family was evacuated by the SWAT forces after the officers were alerted that three men with AK-47 assault weapons invaded the apartment, The Register informed today. Just after the cops broke into the house, they found a chat session started by the family's 15-year-old boy with a Chicago resident who apparently set up the prank. According to the same source, he "asked the boy if he heard any sirens approaching around the same time the police were arriving."
Now, just imagine that you are at home watching a movie without your family and some heavily armed cops are breaking into your home shouting and threatening you with the weapons... Certainly, this sounds like your worst nightmare, but it happens every once in a while due to this kind of pranks.
Some time ago, a group of swatters pleaded guilty after they were arrested by the police for sending the police into their homes. Usually, such a prank can be conducted using several techniques related to VoIP and hacking attempts.
"Swatting uses a combination of social engineering, phone phreaking and computer hacking to harass individuals. In many cases, the swatter will trick the victim into divulging a physical address and then use a VoIP system to make it look like the victim has initiated an emergency call from his address. This often prompts a response from SWAT teams who conduct emergency raids on the homes of people whose numbers were spoofed", The Register explains.
So, next time you hear the police sirens near your house, just prepare yourself for what can be the most impressive SWAT operation you have ever seen.