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242 points LinuxBender | 1 comments | | HN request time: 0.209s | source
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BLKNSLVR ◴[] No.42169029[source]
I'm unwisely and unadvisedly wading into this half-cocked.

Swatting wouldn't even be a thing if <any number of logical things>

- Anonymous calls should be treated with high levels of suspicion as to their legitimacy

- First response training that's even moderately appropriate

- Situational awareness beyond what one's been informed by third parties

- Empathy for all humans

- Any kind of notion of that a scenario may not actually be as described by a single anonymous voice

A very (un)funny irony is that there are numerous stories I've read about domestic violence victims being arrested, as opposed to the attacker, which implies there's some level of suspicion in some circumstances about the information the police are being fed. Swatting, as a thing, indicates there's some kind of hero-pressure build-up that overrules any kind of <all the things I listed above> whereby that pressure has the possibility of impending release.

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edm0nd ◴[] No.42172756[source]
These are not "Anonymous" calls though.

The SWATer kids call into 911/e-911 centers using a spoofed number of the victims.

replies(2): >>42173689 #>>42177541 #
1. BLKNSLVR ◴[] No.42177541[source]
That's not mentioned in the article. It does mention that the numbers of the victims were shared, but doesn't specifically say they were spoofed.

If it's that easy to spoof a phone number then that system is completely fucked and not fit for purpose.

And the efforts that a private investigator needed to go to, to track down the perpetrator, indicates that there is no way to track the source of the phone calls - that's ludicrous (but probably the norm).