Swatting is one of the scariest things that can happen to a person who is, for all intents and purposes, minding their own business in what would otherwise be the space they feel safest.<\/p>
The tactic is a prevalent form of harassment in online communities, especially in the online streaming space, and the number of high-profile creators that have been victimized is sizable.<\/p>
Along with Adin Ross, who was swatted on Nov. 9, there is a laundry list of creators that have had police arrive at their house on the pretenses of a dangerous situation.<\/p>
The term \u201cswatting\u201d stems from the name of the police force that typically comes when someone maliciously makes a hoax call to a local emergency dispatcher. As many people know, the SWAT team is a group of police that is more heavily geared than your typical traffic cop. The abbreviation itself stands for \u201cspecial weapons and tactics.\u201d<\/p>
Swatting is used as a verb to describe the act of making a false report to the police that leads to a SWAT team showing up to someone\u2019s residence. These hoax calls can include claiming that someone is armed and dangerous or that there is some sort of hostage situation.<\/p>
A part of swatting is often linked to the act of \u201cdoxxing,\u201d which is when someone publicizes another person\u2019s private information, like a home address. In online communities, doxxing is one of the primary causes of swatting. In order to swat someone, a harasser needs to provide emergency services with the address of the person they are victimizing.<\/p>
These overtly fraudulent calls to police can lead to criminal charges if the person who makes them is identified.<\/p>
