The Dangers of Swatting Hoaxes

JOINING US. IT'S BECOMING A GROWING CONCERN IMPACTING SCHOOLS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT THROUGHOUT FLORIDA IS CALLED SWATTING. ACCORDING TO TD OUR TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, A COMPANY THAT TRACKS SCHOOL THREATS ACROSS THE COUNTRY. FLORIDA LED THE NATION IN SWATTING REPORTING MORE THAN 1500 SCHOOL INCIDENTS DURING THE 2023 2024 SCHOOL YEAR. THE FBI SAYS ONLINE THREAT ACTORS ARE COMMITTING THE SWATTING ACTS AND EVEN RECRUITING KIDS TO TAKE PART IS JUST ONE OF MANY ONLINE THREATS. FEDERAL AGENTS ARE WARNING PARENTS ABOUT. >> SPECIAL AGENT ADAM GODFREY FROM THE TAMPA FBI OFFICE JOINS US NOW WITH MORE. >> THANK YOU FOR JOINING US. >> DREW, THANKS FOR HAVING ME. >> ALMOST EVERY CHILD IS ONLINE EVERY DAY FACING A DIGITAL LANDSCAPE THAT IS FILLED WITH POTENTIAL DANGER. CAN YOU HELP US UNDERSTAND WHAT KINDS OF THREATS ARE FACING OUR KIDS ONLINE? >> HE ON FORCING A LOT OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING RIGHT NOW. ARE THESE VIOLENT ONLINE EXTREMIST GROUPS, RIGHT? AND YOU'LL HEAR TERMS LIKE 7, 6, 4, NIHILISTIC, VIOLENT EXTREMIST GROUPS OUT THERE. BUT THESE GROUPS ARE TARGETING JUVENILES. TYPICALLY USUALLY THERE, FOLKS THAT ARE THEY MAY HAVE SOME OTHER ISSUES GOING ON, WHETHER IT BE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OR BULLY OR THINGS LIKE THAT. AND THEY WILL TARGET THESE FOLKS ONLINE USING SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, THEY WILL BEFRIEND THEM. THEY WILL GROOM THEM AND THEN THEY WILL CONVINCED THAT TYPICALLY TO PROVIDE, YOU KNOW, SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIAL ONCE THEY HAVE SOMETHING THAT THEY'RE ABLE TO LEVERAGE THESE FOLKS WITHIN USE THAT TO EXTORT THEM. THAT EXTORTION LOOKS LIKE A VARIETY OF THINGS. IN MOST CASES, THOUGH, IT'S TRYING TO CONVINCE THESE VICTIMS TO COMMIT A VARIETY OF SELF-HARM COULD BE CUTTING TO BE ALL THE WAY UP TO SUICIDE. WE'VE EVEN SEEN WHERE THEY'RE ENCOURAGING HARM OF. THAT'S AND SIBLINGS. AND JUST SOME SOME REALLY AWFUL STUFF. >> HOW PERVASIVE ARE THESE BAD ACTORS? >> WELL, I CAN TELL YOU, AT LEAST ON THE FBI SIDE. SO WE'VE GOT OVER 500 CASES NATIONALLY RIGHT NOW ON THESE GROUPS. IT DEFINITELY SEEMS TO BE INCREASING OF US WHO ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES TO WORK THIS. WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR LOCAL PARTNERS. OUR SHERIFF'S OFFICES ARE POLICE DEPARTMENTS, FDLE AT THE STATE LEVEL AND PRETTY MUCH EVERYBODY'S ADDRESSING IT. SO IT IS. THESE FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE SEEMS TO BE AN INCREASING PROBLEM FOR NOW. >> AND WHAT AGES ARE BEING TARGETED. >> FORTUNATELY, I'VE SEEN AS YOUNG AS 9. I WOULD SAY TYPICALLY THEY TEND TO BE TEENAGE, BUT IT CAN BE ANY VARIETY. WE'VE SEEN. IT'S IT'S PRIMARILY FEMALE TEENAGE JUVENILE. BUT WE'VE SEEN MALE VICTIMS, FEMALE VICTIMS, JUVENILES AND ADULTS. BUT PREDOMINANTLY IS THAT KIND OF TEENAGER FEMALE VICTIM? >> CAN TOUCH ON IN OTHER PROBLEM THAT WE'VE BEEN SEEING A LOT OF IN THE MEDIA AND THAT IS SWATTING. CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT THIS WEDDING IS AND WHY THOSE THREATS POSE A DANGER? >> ANOTHER INCREASING ISSUE THAT WE'RE DEALING WITH RIGHT TO SWATTING ESSENTIALLY IS SOME WON. CONTACTS. LAW ENFORCEMENT AND REPORTS EITHER A VIOLENT EVENT THAT HAS HAPPENED OR IS GOING TO HAPPEN. BUT IT'S IT'S NOT A REAL EVENTS RED. IT'S A HOAX. CALL AND THEY'RE MAKING THESE CALLS IN AN EFFORT TO TRY AND GENERATE A LAW ENFORCEMENT RESPONSE. SO THEY WANT TO SEE LAW ENFORCEMENT SHOW UP. THEY WANT TO SEE A SWAT TEAM SHOW UP A BOMB TEAM SHOW UP AND IT'S IT'S A PROBLEM ON A VARIETY OF FRONTS. IT'S A PROBLEM FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT, OBVIOUSLY BECAUSE IT. IT PULLS RESOURCES AWAY FROM REAL ISSUES THAT ARE GOING ON IN THE COMMUNITY. IT'S EXPENSIVE. BUT IT ALSO PUTS PEOPLE IN DANGER, RIGHT? ANYTIME YOU LAW ENFORCEMENT RECEIVED A REPORT THAT THERE MAY BE SO VIOLENT ACT THAT'S GOING ON MAYBE A SHOOTING OR AN ACTIVE SHOOTING OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT. THEY'RE RESPONDING VERY QUICKLY WITH, YOU KNOW, FAIRLY LIMITED AMOUNT OF INFORMATION AND THAT CAN PUT PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES OF THAT SCENARIO AND A HIGH STRESS, DANGEROUS SITUATION WHERE PEOPLE CAN GET HURT AS A RESULT OF IT. >> ARE YOU SEEING MORE CASES OF SWATTING? >> DEFINITELY. SO, YOU KNOW, OUR LOCAL PARTNERS, BARRON FORTUNE THE MAJORITY, THE BRUNT OF THESE CALLS, BECAUSE THEY'RE THE ONES THAT ARE RECEIVING THESE CALLS THAT ARE COMING IN AND RESPONDING. BUT WE AS THE FBI ARE DEFINITELY GETTING MORE AND MORE INVOLVED. WE'VE HAD SOME PRETTY SIGNIFICANT RECENT PROSECUTIONS AROUND THE COUNTRY OF SWATTING NETWORKS. AND WE'RE DEFINITELY OPENING MORE CASES THAT AT LEAST FROM WHAT I SEE HERE IN THE TAMPA DIVISION AND WHAT I UNDERSTAND AROUND THE FBI AND THERE ARE FEDERAL STATUTES THAT WE CAN BRING TO BEAR TO ADDRESS THESE IN A NUMBER OF WAYS. AND WE ARE, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO TRYING TO PROVIDE RESOURCES AND TRAINING AND EDUCATION BOTH TO THE, YOU KNOW, THE PRIVATE SECTOR AS WELL AS OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT PARTNERS. BUT WE'RE ALSO WORKING IN PROSECUTING THESE CASES AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. >> AND WITH THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR UNDER WAY, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR ONE PIECE OF ADVICE TO PARENTS WHO ARE LISTENING, WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR KIDS AND ACTIVITY ONLINE AND THEY REALLY MAY NOT KNOW WHAT TO DO TO PROTECT THEM. >> YEAH. JUST KEEP TALKING TO HIM. HE TALKING TO HIM, TRY TO TRY TO KEEP THE LINES OF COMMUNICATION OPEN, TRY TO MAKE THEM FEEL COMFORTABLE. YOU KNOW. ONE OF THE REASONS THAT THIS EXTORTION WITH THESE, YOU KNOW, ESPECIALLY THESE ONLINE GROUPS IS EFFECTIVE IS BECAUSE THEY THEY TAKE THESE EXPLICIT IMAGES THAT THESE YOUNG FOLKS OF PROVIDING, THEN THEY THREATEN TO RELEASE IT TO THEIR FAMILY OR PUT IT OUT ONLINE. AND THAT'S A REALLY DEVASTATING THING FOR FOR YOUNG PERSON. SO WHATEVER YOU CAN DO TO MAKE THEM FEEL COMFORTABLE COMING TO YOU AND TALKING ABOUT THAT MONITORING WHAT THEY'RE DOING ONLINE. JUST BE AWARE AND PAYING ATTENTION TO WHO THEY'RE TALKING TO. AND ANY INDICATIONS OF SOME OF THE WARNING SIGNS WE DISCUSSED ON THE SWATTING CITED. REALLY IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO TO REPORT THAT STUFF. YOU KNOW, WE WE TALK ABOUT SEE WHAT TELL WHO AS PART OF OUR THREAT ASSESSMENT, THREAT MANAGEMENT INITIATIVE THROUGHOUT THE BUREAU. AND IT'S IMPORTANT. WANT TO KNOW THE WARNING SIGNS WITH THEN IT'S IT'S EQUALLY OR MORE IMPORTANT. REPORTED WHETHER IT'S TO LAW ENFORCEMENT. YOU KNOW, THERE'S TOOLS OUT THERE LIKE 4 TO 5, FLORIDA, THE STUDENTS CAN USE, BUT IT COULD ALSO BE TO SOME OTHER TRUSTED INDIVIDUAL. IF IT'S IN SCHOOL, MAYBE IT'S A PROFESSOR, A COACH OR A TEACHER, A GUIDANCE COUNSELOR. SOMEBODY JUST GET THAT INFORMATION IN THE HANDS OF SOMEBODY THE CAN DEAL WITH IT APPROPRIATELY SO WE CAN GET AHEAD OF IT BEFORE IT BECOMES A PROBLEM. >> WELL, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR JOINING US TODAY. AGENT GODFREY. >> MY PLEASURE. THANKS FOR HAVING ME. >> TO LEARN MORE ABOUT ONLINE