How to prevent swatting? Wheaton North High School receives false shooting threat

Wheaton North High School was in an alleged panic-like situation on the morning of February 20, 2023. That was when an individual called 911, stating that they were armed with weapons and explosives and were walking into the school to “kill everyone.” As soon as the police received the call, they reached Wheaton North High School, and evacuated the students and staff members inside. Police also asked people within a two-block radius of the school to shelter in place and stay indoors as they investigated the matter. Police ultimately lifted the shelter-in-place order at 10:45 am and confirmed that they did not find any armed individuals or possible threats within the building. When they didn't find any trace of the alleged claim made by the called, they called it a case of &quot;swatting.&quot;Swatting is what happens when a hoax phone call is made to report serious crimes to emergency services. These can include calls to report bomb threats, hostage situations, and even murder. According to Fortinet, swatting can be a prank call made through a telephone but it can also be done online.City of Wheaton@CityOfWheatonWheaton Police are asking residents within a 2-block radius of Wheaton North High School to shelter in place while they investigate a threat. wheaton.il.us/CivicAlerts.as…147Wheaton Police are asking residents within a 2-block radius of Wheaton North High School to shelter in place while they investigate a threat. wheaton.il.us/CivicAlerts.as… https://t.co/PguOKLfLLFWheaton police also noted that instances of swatting have been on the rise recently. While these hoax calls cannot be controlled easily, measures like privacy settings and the installation of certain software can prevent people from falling victim to it. Officials reacted to the hoax call made to Wheaton North High SchoolWheaton police and authorities responded to a call about a potential shooting at Wheaton North High School. However, when they reached the school, police found that classes weren't in session as it was the President's Day holiday. They still evacuated the staff members and the few students present on the campus.Jake Sheridan@JakeSheridan_With @DanDorfman. Police responded to and disproved each of the threats. Classes were out for the holiday today, but the few folks inside at least one school were evacuated. Authorities plan to investigate the calls and ramp up security at quite a few suburban schools Tuesday.2With @DanDorfman. Police responded to and disproved each of the threats. Classes were out for the holiday today, but the few folks inside at least one school were evacuated. Authorities plan to investigate the calls and ramp up security at quite a few suburban schools Tuesday.After some rigorous investigation, the authorities found no threat and declared it to be a swatting incident. District 200 Superintendent Jeff Schuler and Wheaton Police Chief Bill Murphy stated in a joint statement:“District 200, our law enforcement, and the DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office take all threats to schools very seriously, and oftentimes, criminal charges are made when appropriate. This type of false threat will not be tolerated in our community.”While it was declared a hoax call, authorities are still increasing their presence outside the high school as classes resume on Tuesday, February 21, 2023. Authorities also revealed that similar threat calls have been made in the past at Wilmette Junior High School too.City of Wheaton@CityOfWheatonThe shelter in place request has been lifted; investigation continues, but similar incidents called in at other locations outside of Wheaton indicate this may be an incident known as &quot;swatting.&quot; More info: wheaton.il.us/CivicAlerts.as…6The shelter in place request has been lifted; investigation continues, but similar incidents called in at other locations outside of Wheaton indicate this may be an incident known as &quot;swatting.&quot; More info: wheaton.il.us/CivicAlerts.as…More details revealed about swatting: All you should knowSince there have been several incidents of swatting reported in recent times, it is important to know what it means and how it can be avoided. As mentioned earlier, swatting is when someone makes a hoax call or a prank call made to report an emergency. People who make such calls do it to report false bomb threats, hostage situations, murders, and even mass bombings like they did in the case of Wheaton North High School.MoveMississippiForward@HamnerPam&quot;Mom, someone Swatted me.&quot;Swatting is a criminal harassment tactic of deceiving an emergency service (via such means as hoaxing an emergency services dispatcher) into sending a police or emergency service response team to another person's address.160781628&quot;Mom, someone Swatted me.&quot;Swatting is a criminal harassment tactic of deceiving an emergency service (via such means as hoaxing an emergency services dispatcher) into sending a police or emergency service response team to another person's address.The same can be done online, as many people share their home addresses and locations online, which also poses a risk of swatting. The same can be avoided or prevented by forcing stricter privacy settings, regularly switching passwords and avoiding oversharing.Matthew Gregoire@BreakngNewsPhtgSwatting calls happening across many schools in Massachusetts this morning4711Swatting calls happening across many schools in Massachusetts this morningHowever, in a case like the recent Wheaton North High School incident, the authorities cannot take the risk of not taking any action and calling it a &quot;swatting situation.&quot;The Wheaton police are working to find out where the call was made from.

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