Active Shooter Hoaxes Trigger College Campus Alarms

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Recent University Hoaxes & “Swatting“

Several universities have recently been targeted by false reports of active shooters, a practice known as “swatting.”

University of South Carolina: Received a report of an active shooter,prompting a shelter-in-place order and search. ⁢Police now‍ believe it was a swatting hoax, similar to ⁣incidents at other universities.
University of Tennessee at Chattanooga: Authorities responded to a call about an active ‍shooter but found no evidence of a threat. It was deemed a “false threat.”
* Villanova University: Received two false reports (Thursday & Sunday) and‍ is investigating⁢ with federal, state, and local law ⁢enforcement. The perpetrators haven’t ⁣been identified. Despite the calls being hoaxes, authorities emphasize they will treat all such reports as serious threats.

What is Swatting?

The Department of Homeland Security defines swatting as ⁢making “malicious hoax calls to⁢ emergency‍ services,” like falsely reporting shootings or bombs.The goal is to trigger a ⁣large-scale response from SWAT teams and other police resources.