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Staring into the faces of those charged or convicted of murder

By Catherine Davis | January 4, 2018                          AUDIO
Commentator, Chief Editor, L&SS

Two guys get into an argument while playing an online game named, 'Game of Thorns' and the result is one baits the other by giving him his address (but it wasn't his real address). What happened next shocked us all. The 25-year-old man used the teen's (the other gamer's) fake address and called (from a spoofing - see definition below- phone number) in a hoax hostage situation. That lead the police to deployed a unit of officers to the fake address that was given to the 911 dispatcher. The caller stated; according to this NYT article, that he shot his father and was aiming to do more damage such as set the house on fire and kill his mother too.

That was probable cause for the police to approach the house with S.W.A.T-like maneuver. The innocent resident had no clue as to what was about to unfold. He simply opened his front door and stepped outside of it, and 'BAM' he got shot. The officer who shot him thought he was reaching for a weapon when he put his hands in his pocket(s). Finch died on his way to the hospital. NYT

Swatting refers to “false reporting an emergency to public safety by a person for the intent of getting a (‘SWAT team’) response to a location where no emergency exists,” according to the National 911 Program. Oftentimes, the caller will report serious crimes, such as a home invasion, shooting or hostage situation, to ensure a robust police response, the National 911 Program adds. Swatters often use caller ID spoofing and other tactics to make the call appear legitimate while simultaneously hiding their identities.

Four years ago, my daughter spoofed me good. That turned out to be a boatload of fun; so I thought after she revealed who she really was on the phone call. What happened was, I got a call from a restaurant that I frequently order delivery from. The man told me that he thought someone had ordered $100.00 worth of food to be delivered. I was livid at that point. I lost it and started to cry. I'm thinking that it was an inside job and some employee stole my debit card info and ran amuck with it. My daughter said, "Mom it's me"! I didn't immediately believe her. I asked her for her birth date and other verifiable questions. We had a hearty laugh that day - then we plotted to do the same to my brother. Hahaha - that too was hilariously funny. 

I do not know if these types of apps are still being sold, I assume they are. And, I assume the swatters used a spoofing app to carry out their swatting escapade.

This spoofing story is the opposite of the game my daughter and I played, it is tragic and it (swatting using spoofing) was not and will never be funny! 

Now, there are laws against calling in false emergency reports - but not swatting. There is one such law on the table, in Congress,at the moment thanks to a Swatting victim, 'A Representative named Katherine Clark'.

Mitch Smith (NYT's) writes that there are several US laws already in affect that pertain to providing false information. Read his following statement regarding those laws:

"In past nonfatal swattings, suspects have been charged and convicted in federal court with crimes such as conspiracy to provide false information, which can lead to up to five years in federal prison, and false information and hoaxes, which has a maximum sentence of life in prison if a death results." NYT

​Fatal ‘Swatting’ Episode in Kansas Raises Quandary: Who Is to Blame? By MITCH SMITH DEC. 31, 2017 Continue reading the main story 
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