(Photo: Reuters /Claro Cortes IV)A SWAT team takes position during an Olympic security drill at Beijing People's Police College on the outskirts of Beijing April 29, 2008.
A new hacking trend is surging within the United States and Canada and it’s proving to be more costly than ever.
Called “Swatting,” the latest hacking trend involves hackers breaking into people’s phones to make prank 911 calls that sound violent enough to dispatch a SWAT team. The SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) team arrives to the address provided by the hacker and breaks in just to find people shocked, confused, and extremely terrified for having various men point automatic weapons at them.
One incident involved a 15-year-old boy from Naples, Fla., Hunter Gelinas. According to ABCNews, he had his X-Box hacked by swatters who sent a message to the police saying Hunter was stabbed and his family members were being held hostages.
When the SWAT team had finally arrived to the scene, they found Hunter coming out of his room. When the teen noticed all the guns, he thought “I’m going to die.”
These prank calls do not only make way for innocent people to suffer accidents but according to ABCNews, they can be costly too.
The media outlet reported that costs of dispatching a SWAT team at one location can average $10,000.
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There are reported to be several dozens of swatting prank calls made every month in the U.S. and Canada.
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