Rolling Johnny Law up to someone’s doorstep just to cause them trouble is called “swatting”, apparently, and the FBI is tracking about 100 such cases of it nationwide. It has ties to video gaming, as well, already happening in Oregon and Florida to people who got into Xbox Live arguments with extra-antisocial bastards instead of just the regular-strength ones.
In this case, it happens that the victim works for Xbox Live, and told police his job was to “catch and shut down hackers.”
Evidently he dun goofed at some point and so that’s why last month (this has just now come to light) Sammamish police got several emergency 911 text messages around 4 in the morning claiming that “two armed Russian males” had broken into a home, “shot my son … and they have Claymore mines”. The texts also warned of a “flashing red device” in the home.
LOL, say you, how could the cops take that seriously? Cops take everything seriously, it’s partly why they have all that cool battle gear. About half-a-dozen police cars went screaming to the door with guns drawn before the homeowner, rousted from sleep, came out and calmed everything down.
The Sammamish police chief believes the griefer hacked into a 911 text messaging service to pull off the stunt, and he’s furious. “We have officers responding lights and sirens to a call they think is an emergency in progress and they get there only to find out it’s a hoax,” he said.
Note to hackers/griefers/griefackers: Washington’s legislature is working on a bill to make harassing a 911 operator, which includes swatting, a crime. Microsoft is headquartered in Redmond, Wash.
Hacker’s Hoax Leads Police to Swarm Xbox Live Employee’s Home[KOMO-TV -- h/t Jesse]
NinjaDude
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 7:43 AMLMAO
Braaains
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 8:46 AMYou mean it’s not already a crime to make a false emergency call? How strange.
Chazz
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 9:25 AMThis.
You’d think it would already be illegal and come with a pretty harsh penalty of some sort.
Gorzilla
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 9:55 AMI know in NSW you can be charged with public nuisance for something like this. Doesn’t sound like much but it basically means along with the fine (not sure if it counts as a criminal charge as well) you can be fined for the costs associated with your little “prank” which not only includes the wages for any police offices and 000 operators who waisted their time on it but also any equipment used.
It can add up to an impressive bill especially if PolAir or our version of SWAT (I can never remember what they call themselves) show up. Likely some hacking charges as well in this case.
For the people laughing, this is funny right up until the point someone dies because emergency services are tied up on some BS. /killjoy.
Xasrai
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 10:42 AMSTAR is right isn’t it?
Special tactics and recon?
Chazz
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 10:47 AMSTAR is South Australian. Special Tasks and Rescue.
Reoh
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 1:47 PM… Also from Resident Evil :)
Kids, don’t prank call 000. They can call you back. I learnt this as a kid. XD
(no I didn’t send them to someone’s house)
Chazz
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 3:13 PMThat’s Special Tactics and Rescue not Special Tasks and Rescue :P
mccawsome
Monday, September 12, 2011 at 9:37 AMI learnt that they will call you back when I had kids… and said kids dialed 000 on my mobile.
Nemesis
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 12:34 PMSTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARS!!!!!!!!!
Cameron
Monday, September 12, 2011 at 8:25 AMIn Victoria they are the “Special Operations Group”, SOG, or “The Soggys”. Funny stuff that.
scruffy
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 10:49 AMEvery state seems to have a different name, but in SA we have STAR force (Special Tasks and Rescue), which is super f**king cool if you ask me. But i do agree; those little bastards should have to pay back every cent, and then go explain to the families of anyone who died because emergency services (it’s not just the cops who come out in a bomb threat) couldn’t get there in time, all because some oxygen thief was upset about being caught out for being a noob and using hacks.
Kyall
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 3:27 PMSo… Umbrella Co is an SA company then?
Nuclear_Pi
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 12:38 PMin victoria i think it’s the Special Operations Group (SOG), but i could be getting my task forces mixed up
di11enger
Monday, September 12, 2011 at 9:52 AMin NSW its TRG (tactical response group) and Qld its SERT (special Emergency response team)
Joshy206
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 4:15 PMI’d hope he could still be charged with something, like willfull endangerment of human life.
Richard Smack Version 2
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 9:12 AMROFLMAO
Mr Waffle
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 11:45 AMCould’ve been a lot worse… I remember reading last year about an American SWAT team breaking into some dude’s house (without identifying themselves) on suspicion he was a drug dealer (he wasn’t) and then they shot him dead because he had a weapon (he was an ex-Marine and his wife saw men with guns through the window).
Reoh
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 1:49 PMMeanwhile in Australia…
Guys rocks up to a court house with his kid and a bomb and the Police, after patiently waiting, gets everyone out alive.
Steve
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 2:49 PMThis happens almost monthly in Arizona. Cops busting in, shooting your dogs with no provocation, or killing a kid etc.
Since 9/11 and the Department of Homeland Security, every single raid gets the Fallujah treatment ie. flashbangs in the front door, yahoos with assault rifles busting the door to take down one guy suspected of selling weed. And with 0 accountability too.
Steve
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 2:45 PMAnd you know what? Doesn’t change my opinion of the XBL population one bit.
Yuuki
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 5:46 PMNew South Wales has the State Protection Group (SPG), which contains the Tactical Operations Unit (TOU), and the State Protection Support Units (SPSU).
which is basically our SWAT.
Franz
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 6:04 PMYeah but factually, we all know mods are more often than not , so he would have deserved it.
Franz
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 6:05 PMYeah but factually, we all know mods are more often than not shitheads, so he would have deserved it.
–I tried to avoid using the word shitheads but my attempt to use arrow tags and ‘insert profanities here’ was made invisible due to the site’s system.
Chazz
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 7:06 PMYes, any bastard mod deserves having SWAT called on his house and costing taxpayers thousands of dollars because of some raging nerd…
Jake
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 6:59 PMIt’s illegal in NSW. Hefty fines apply, and you can get a criminal record for repeat offenses.
Kurt Hawkins
Sunday, September 11, 2011 at 7:13 PMhhahahaha dun goofed :)
Aaron
Monday, September 12, 2011 at 11:07 AMMy first thought was, “I’d just walk out the front in my boxers and take a photo of all those cops”.
And my second thought was, “Shit if I walked out there with a mobile phone in my hands they’d blow me away!”.
DENAz
Monday, September 12, 2011 at 11:48 AMHe/she hacked into the 911 text messaging service!? lol maybe they should look into that as well
MoeFo
Monday, September 12, 2011 at 12:51 PMOn a less related note – Sammamish. “One egg and bacon sammamish thx plz…”
Maniacal
Monday, September 12, 2011 at 4:24 PMhaha!!! now a bit of advice for the prankers…if you tell the emergency services that there are ‘claymores’, don’t expect the police to bust down any doors. they will knock first to get a response. I play FPS’ games alot and walking into any room before looking/checking for claymores will get you toasted real quick. I imagine the police will too.
on a sidenote – I hate prank callers to emergency services numbers. suffer all the consequences douchebags. do the crime, do the time.