34 votes

This is the group that's been swatting US universities

Posted by AugustusFerdinand
Tags: usa, crime, swatting, slashings, brickings, extremism.violent, purgatory, the com, 764, extortion, doxing, harassment, investigation, fbi, university of tennessee, villanova university, technology, social media, messaging, discord, telegram, education.higher, universities, schools, author.david gilbert, source.wired, paywall
https://www.wired.com/story/purgatory-gores-swatting-us-universities/

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Authors
David Gilbert, Will Knight, Amy Francombe, Scott Gilbertson, Dell Cameron, Caroline Haskins, Matt Burgess, Joseph Cox, Molly Taft, Megan Farokhmanesh, Vittoria Elliott, Lily Hay Newman, Taylor Lorenz
Published
Aug 27 2025
Word count
590 words

7 comments

  1. [3]
    Areldyb
    Link
    Hot take: The only reason swatting is even possible as a tactic is because of an over-readiness to respond to noise. I know that actual mass violence happens far too often and that law enforcement...

    Hot take: The only reason swatting is even possible as a tactic is because of an over-readiness to respond to noise. I know that actual mass violence happens far too often and that law enforcement needs to be able to rapidly respond to it, but it shouldn't be possible to cause this level of disruption with a single, unverified phone call.

    19 votes
    1. [2]
      Minori
      Link Parent
      The calls contained gun noises in the background. Schools should treat a panicked phone call with gun noises very seriously.

      The calls contained gun noises in the background. Schools should treat a panicked phone call with gun noises very seriously.

      13 votes
      1. DefinitelyNotAFae
        Link Parent
        Yeah, we have to. We'd love there to be less noise but imagine not responding because it could be fake but it's very much not.

        Yeah, we have to. We'd love there to be less noise but imagine not responding because it could be fake but it's very much not.

        8 votes
  2. Minori
    Link
    I have family at one of the universities that was swatted on Monday. It was not a mild prank. The university was closed for the rest of the day except for essential services like counseling and...

    I have family at one of the universities that was swatted on Monday. It was not a mild prank. The university was closed for the rest of the day except for essential services like counseling and food halls.

    Real fucked up thing to do for only $95. VoIP services need to be more strictly regulated.

    12 votes
  3. [2]
    babypuncher
    Link
    This is one of those rare cases where I think the punishment should be disproportionately massive relative to the crime. It's so easy to get away with swatting that any reasonable punishment is...

    This is one of those rare cases where I think the punishment should be disproportionately massive relative to the crime. It's so easy to get away with swatting that any reasonable punishment is not an effective deterrent. Getting caught doing this should be completely and utterly life-destroying.

    10 votes
    1. CannibalisticApple
      Link Parent
      Agreed. After all, swatting does end in deaths all too often.

      Agreed. After all, swatting does end in deaths all too often.

      6 votes