Is this for real?

[Parasondox]

From what I have seen just now, and getting an understanding of it, are people really "Swatting" streamers? Apparently this shit just happened a few hours ago to a gamer and has happened in the past.


https://twitter.com/UberHaxorNova
https://twitter.com/ImmortalHD

Prank or not, what the fuck is wrong with people?

Swatting is the tricking of any emergency service (via such as a 9-1-1 dispatcher) into dispatching an emergency response based on the false report of an on-going critical incident.

By the way, I only just found out about what swatting is cause that "prank" isn't played in the UK. Not to my knowledge anyways.

 

[Able Seacat]

Yeah I member hearing about this before. Horrible thing to do and such a waste of the emergency services time. I hope they one day manage to catch one of these 'pranksters'.

 

[Parasondox]

Yeah I member hearing about this before. Horrible thing to do and such a waste of the emergency services time. I hope they one day manage to catch one of these 'pranksters'.

But that is a fucked up "prank". And for what? To get an amusement out of it? Some people just have a very sick sense of humour if they find this funny. A waste of emergency services time indeed.

But why are gamers who stream being targeted?

 

[Able Seacat]

snip

But why are gamers who stream being targeted?

No idea. Easy targets maybe? I guess due to the live feed, the event and reaction is online for the "pranksters" to see.

 

[EternallyBored]

Yeah I member hearing about this before. Horrible thing to do and such a waste of the emergency services time. I hope they one day manage to catch one of these 'pranksters'.

But that is a fucked up "prank". And for what? To get an amusement out of it? Some people just have a very sick sense of humour if they find this funny. A waste of emergency services time indeed.

But why are gamers who stream being targeted?

They are likely being targeted because livestreaming allows the person making the call to see the results of their "joke", they get to, hopefully to them, see the SWAT team bust in.

The toxicity of competitive video games also often makes it so tempers run high and some people might turn to this type of retaliation in a fit of rage over something.

Still, I'd mainly say its the getting to watch the results thing that makes this a favorite tactic against livestreamers.

 

[x EvilErmine x]

WTF? Is this a thing? Wow that's just...words actually fail me. But then I'm of the opinion that people who make prank calls to the emergency services and waste their time should have their privileges revoked.

 

[Parasondox]

No idea. Easy targets maybe? I guess due to the live feed, the event and reaction is online for the "pranksters" to see.

They are likely being targeted because livestreaming allows the person making the call to see the results of their "joke", they get to, hopefully to them, see the SWAT team bust in.

The toxicity of competitive video games also often makes it so tempers run high and some people might turn to this type of retaliation in a fit of rage over something.

Still, I'd mainly say its the getting to watch the results thing that makes this a favorite tactic against livestreamers.

Sounds like a story from Criminal Minds.

"The UnSub likes to watch his victims as the real life game he created is being played out live to an audience".

Boy, how far does a "prank" have to go for them.

 

[Parasondox]

WTF? Is this a thing? Wow that's just...words actually fail me. But then I'm of the opinion that people who make prank calls to the emergency services and waste their time should have their privileges revoked.

That was my reaction when I heard that this happens. It's also a question of "why" the fuck would anyone think this is funny? One minute you are playing a game, the next you have a SWAT team bursting into your home as if you are a most wanted suspect. I don't see the joke there.

 

[EternallyBored]

No idea. Easy targets maybe? I guess due to the live feed, the event and reaction is online for the "pranksters" to see.

They are likely being targeted because livestreaming allows the person making the call to see the results of their "joke", they get to, hopefully to them, see the SWAT team bust in.

The toxicity of competitive video games also often makes it so tempers run high and some people might turn to this type of retaliation in a fit of rage over something.

Still, I'd mainly say its the getting to watch the results thing that makes this a favorite tactic against livestreamers.

Sounds like a story from Criminal Minds.

"The UnSub likes to watch his victims as the real life game he created is being played out live to an audience".

Boy, how far does a "prank" have to go for them.

Attention is also a major factor, I remember a report stating that so many SWAT teams have been called out to celebrity houses, that the LAPD no longer reports on it when it happens to try and prevent copycats from showing up. The chances of catching someone doing this is also really low to almost impossible if the SWATter actually knows what their doing which gives it more appeal as a low risk high impact event.

If it's any consolation, a few U.S. states are trying to or already have passed bills requiring people caught SWATting to pay for the money wasted in the false raid, as well as opening them up to further prosecution for damages by the victims. Lemme see if I can find the video, I remember it actually stating that one of the state senators behind one of the bills actually got SWATted while trying to get the law passed.

 

[shootthebandit]

This is fucked up. Why would anyone do this

Also why do american cops always swear at people it makes them look antagonising and unprofessional

 

[Shadow flame master]

I am seriously scared for the day one of these "pranks" turns deadly.

 

[Something Amyss]

They are likely being targeted because livestreaming allows the person making the call to see the results of their "joke", they get to, hopefully to them, see the SWAT team bust in.

The toxicity of competitive video games also often makes it so tempers run high and some people might turn to this type of retaliation in a fit of rage over something.

Still, I'd mainly say its the getting to watch the results thing that makes this a favorite tactic against livestreamers.

I'd also imagine it'd be easier to get personal details of someone who's livestreaming or popular than xXxquickscopem4r1n3sn1p3r6969xXx.

Since this got its start prior to targeting livestreamers, I do imagine it's largely an issue of easy targets.

I am seriously scared for the day one of these "pranks" turns deadly.

And given the police tendency in the US of "shoot first, ask questions rarely," I can imagine it happening sooner rather than later.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

This is an abuse of police resources and is just a massive dickmove.

I don't like this prank one bit and its just a matter of time before a gun goes off during one of these. >.<

 

[shootthebandit]

I am seriously scared for the day one of these "pranks" turns deadly.

Not only would that be wasting police time its also culpable homicide or manslaughter if the prankster has a good lawyer

 

[Cronenberg1]

Apparently these guys sometimes film videos with fake guns. Imagine what would have happened if they had come in during one of those. This shit is so dumb, I hope no one gets shot because of something like this.

 

[Mikeyfell]

at least they get a highlight out of it.

That's seriously fucked up though.

 

[Drake the Dragonheart]

I am training to become an EMT and have been applying to every Police and Fire agency I have seen hiring in the paper, and I have to say if someone was hurt or died because someone did this and a real emergency was missed because my unit had to respond to a fake emergency, I would be ****ing PISSED!

 

[Zhukov]

Well, that was dramatic.

Gaming, ladies and gentlemen: The hobby of choice for totally mature adults!

 

[Parasondox]

Attention is also a major factor, I remember a report stating that so many SWAT teams have been called out to celebrity houses, that the LAPD no longer reports on it when it happens to try and prevent copycats from showing up. The chances of catching someone doing this is also really low to almost impossible if the SWATter actually knows what their doing which gives it more appeal as a low risk high impact event.

If it's any consolation, a few U.S. states are trying to or already have passed bills requiring people caught SWATting to pay for the money wasted in the false raid, as well as opening them up to further prosecution for damages by the victims. Lemme see if I can find the video, I remember it actually stating that one of the state senators behind one of the bills actually got SWATted while trying to get the law passed.

Well apparently from one of the tweets, the "prank" also had the schools nearby close because of it. I am wondering what the pranksters said to the police to warrant that big panic in the area.

This is fucked up. Why would anyone do this

Also why do american cops always swear at people it makes them look antagonising and unprofessional

Cause they have to look tough and put fear into the alleged suspects for now flipping reason... and too much cop movies maybe.

 

[rcs619]

From what I have seen just now, and getting an understanding of it, are people really "Swatting" streamers? Apparently this shit just happened a few hours ago to a gamer and has happened in the past.

https://twitter.com/UberHaxorNova
https://twitter.com/ImmortalHD

Prank or not, what the fuck is wrong with people?

Swatting is the tricking of any emergency service (via such as a 9-1-1 dispatcher) into dispatching an emergency response based on the false report of an on-going critical incident.

By the way, I only just found out about what swatting is cause that "prank" isn't played in the UK. Not to my knowledge anyways.

It's especially dangerous to do in America, given how our police (and SWAT teams in particular) tend to act. Police here are taught to apply overwhelming force to any situation where they feel there is a threat to their own life, and then sort it all out later. If the situation seems bad enough, they can even get what is known as a 'no-knock warrant' where they're allowed to bust their way into your home, without announcing themselves, and using whatever force they feel necessarily to take control of the situation.

That can, as you would imagine, end poorly at times. Fairly recently in... oh gosh, I forget which state, the local cops got an anonymous tip about a home where someone had allegedly bought $50 worth of meth. They executed a no-knock warrant on the house, busting out the windows and blindly lobbing in flash-bang grenades... one of which landed inside of a crib that still contained the baby. It survived, albeit with horrendous burns and injuries, and now the city is saying that it would actually be against the law to compensate the mother for her medical expenses.

Cops in the US, they're often trained that anyone and everyone is a potential threat, and a lot of the people who are cops get off on the power. They love playing soldier and getting to break out their toys. It's only a matter of time before one of these SWATing incidents ends up in the streamer getting shot, or at best, getting his ass beat to within an inch of his life. It is seriously such a stupid, dangerous, inhumane thing to do to someone else.