FBI Warns Michigan & Indiana Parents of Doxing & Swatting Trend

Law enforcement is cracking down on Swatting and Doxing as they are seeing an increase in reports.  Michigan and Indiana parents please be on alert.

Let's start by defining the terms 'swatting' and 'doxing' in case you are unfamiliar.  Swatting can be a very dangerous situation as it can pull a large number of law enforcement officers according to the FBI,

it involves calling 9-1-1 and faking an emergency that draws a response from law enforcement—usually a SWAT team.

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Swatting began its rise in popularity in 2008 and has only grown each year since.  Swatting can be anything from calling in a fake bomb threat at a school or a false report that someone is armed and dangerous in their own home.  In addition to using up tons of valuable resources, innocent people have been injured and killed during the police response to some of these fake emergencies.

For example, Three Rivers Schools were closed Thursday, Sept 12th, and Friday, Sept 13th for separate online threats that turned out to be fake. Jenison Public Schools and Portage Public Schools also experienced fake threats this week.  That's 4 false reports to schools in 2 days in Southwest Michigan alone.

Here's how the Department of Homeland Security defines Doxing,

gathering an individual’s personally identifiable information and releasing it publicly for malicious purposes, such as public humiliation, stalking, identity
theft, or targeting for harassment.

The FBI is asking parents to pay careful attention due to swatting and doxing reports that involve teens as both the targets and perpetrators are on the rise.  If you have information about a previous cyber crime or are worried that one is about to happen, please get in touch with your local law enforcement and the FBI.  You can make cybercrime reports to the FBI by clicking here.

READ MORE: Michigan Sheriff Warns of Elaborate Phone Scam