Kane County Sees Surge In Fake 911 Calls

Kane County, IL — Kane County emergency departments is seeing a "dramatic increase" in bogus 911 calls and a recent Android phone software update could be to blame, officials said.

KaneComm Director Michelle Guthrie told a county board committee Thursday her emergency operators saw a "dramatic increase" of 2,000 phone calls this June compared to last June, and during a recent eight-hour shift, KannComm dealt with 25 bogus or abandoned calls to 911, according to the Daily Herald.

The abandoned calls happen when a phone dials 911 but when a 911 telecommunicator answers, there is no one on the other line. The emergency dispatchers must then follow up on every call, according to the article.

Guthrie said the uptick in abandoned calls in Kane County and across the U.S. came following a software update for Android phone in May, which changed when the Emergency SOS activates. Pressing the power button rapidly five times will result in a 911 call, and this can happen at times when, for example, a phone is put into a cup holder while mowing the lawn, the newspaper reports.

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