These hoaxes have been happening all over. These people need to be tracked down and prosecuted.
Wired reports:
This Is the Group That’s Been Swatting US UniversitiesA self-proclaimed leader of an online group linked to the violent extremist network The Com tells WIRED he is responsible for the flurry of hoax active-shooter alerts at universities across the US in recent days as students return to school.Known online as Gores, the person says he coleads a group called Purgatory, which is offering its followers a menu of services, including hoax threats against schools—known as swatting—for just $20, while faked threats against hospitals, businesses, and airports can cost up to $50. The group also offered “slashings” and “brickings” for as little as $10, according to a review of the group’s Telegram channel by WIRED, apparently referencing real-world violence.In recent days, however, as the incidents were reported in the media, the prices have skyrocketed, with a school swatting now costing $95 and brickings costing $35.The group has been linked to 764, a nihilistic subgroup of The Com that conducts targeted campaigns against children using extortion, doxing, swatting, and harassment. Members of 764 have been accused of everything from robbery to sexual abuse of minors, kidnapping, and murder.Since the swatting spree kicked off on August 21, around a dozen different universities have been targeted with 911 emergency calls, some having to issue alerts on multiple occasions after receiving multiple hoax calls. Gores tells WIRED that the group had earned around $100,000 since the swatting spree began. WIRED has not independently confirmed that figure.As well as the confirmation from Gores, two researchers who spoke to WIRED confirmed that they had both listened to the group conducting swatting calls on audio livestreams as they happened in recent days. In at least one case, a researcher was able to intercede and call the targeted institution to inform them that the call was a hoax.
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