In just over a week, there have been at least 16 swatting hoaxes targeting colleges across the U.S. The latest alarm came at the University of Pittsburgh. Scott MacFarlane reports there is growing fear that a hoax could lead to very real danger.

Pittsburgh

A recent wave of swatting hoaxes has affected at least 15 colleges in 14 states, including the University of Pittsburgh, Colorado, Arkansas, and Villanova. These incidents involve false emergency calls reporting mass shootings, leading to lockdowns, emergency alerts, and significant distress among students and parents. 

Law enforcement officials note that many of these swatting calls are technologically sophisticated, often using encryption and fake gunshot sounds to make the threats appear real. While an online extremist group has claimed responsibility for some incidents, the FBI continues to investigate and has not confirmed these claims. Experts highlight that many perpetrators are foreign-based, and the increasing frequency of these hoaxes is straining law enforcement resources and causing ongoing anxiety on college campuses.

String of swatting incidents targeting colleges nationwide

The shooting in Minneapolis is part of an epidemic of mass shootings in America that has gone on for decades. And now there is a new threat, swatting hoaxes. In just over a week now, there have been at least 16 at 15 schools in 14 states. The latest alarm came today at the University of Pittsburgh. Scott McFarlane reports there is a growing fear that a hoax could lead to very real danger. The hoax in Pittsburgh today comes on the heels of similar hoaxes in Colorado and Arkansas. No shots were fired, but at Villanova last week there was running, hiding, panic and fear. It was pretty surreal. I mean, at first it was kind of like the shock and confusion. Someone made a hoax emergency call, falsely claiming a mass shooting was underway, triggering a lockdown and emergency alerts campus-wide. It was on the day parents were dropping off students in Philadelphia. A CBS News review found at least 15 other universities have also recently been targeted by swattings. An online extremist group claimed responsibility to Wired magazine Wednesday, but an FBI official wouldn't comment on that report until CBS News the swattings remain under investigation. Former FBI agent Katherine Schweitz says swatters use encryption and Internet technology to call in the fake threats, even adding fake gunshot sounds. Well, we love technology, but technology allows us to hide what we're doing. What's motivating somebody to want to do this? I think the foreign actors are looking to create havoc and chaos in the United States. It's advantageous to our foreign adversaries to have our country in chaos. A CBS News review of recent swatting prosecutions shows many of the culprits are foreign-based and in dozens of cases they targeted public officials, members of Congress and churches, creating chaos that drains law enforcement resources. Ryan Sands, a college sophomore in Washington, D.C., says students are worried who's next. Even if it ends up being fake, just the fact that I went through that for hours is just daunting. I don't even want to think about it happening. Your parents probably don't want to think about it either. Nope, they do not. An FBI official tells CBS News this is a growing phenomenon. The number of swatting incidents is rising nationwide, but law enforcement experts say college campuses are especially challenging. So many buildings and rooms to check before they know it's a hoax.

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