'Swatting' Calls On The Rise In Mercer County: Officials

Mercer County Central Communications, the agency that dispatches 9-1-1 emergency calls to local jurisdictions, has recently received a spat of false calls, county officials said on Friday. Referred to as “swatting,” the hoax tricks emergency responders into reporting to another person’s address under the false pretense of a serious emergency, according to officials.

Mercer County Central Communications reported to the Mercer County Prosecutor’s Office that it has received at least eight calls over two or three days falsely claiming emergencies. Some of these incidents include “pediatric emergency,” “unconscious child,” “cardiac arrest of a child,” “smoke reported,” “shots fired” and “shots fired in vicinity of school.”

Dispatch reports that perpetrators often use a variety of technology tricks, known as “spoofing,” to hide the caller’s real location and trick emergency authorities into responding to a fabricated emergency. Calls were targeted in the Trenton and Hamilton areas, according to officials.

The “swatting,” which is derived from the term SWAT (special weapons and tactics), were delivered in a variety of ways, including phone calls and Text 911. However, none were delivered using the 911 system.

“False alarms, ‘swatting’ and ‘spoofing’ are not funny pranks,” Mercer County Executive Brian M. Hughes said. “False alarms potentially divert emergency responders away from legitimate emergencies, which could ultimately lead to loss of life. Violators of the law will be prosecuted and Mercer County supports the County Prosecutor’s investigation into this ongoing dangerous situation. Swatting can be prosecuted through federal crime statutes and can carry steep fines.”

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