Washington, Aug 27(HS):

The FBI has urged students and faculty across the United States to remain alert as a surge of swatting hoaxes has triggered campus lockdowns and chaotic police responses at universities nationwide.

Since last Thursday, nearly a dozen universities – including Villanova, Iowa State, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Northern Arizona, the University of Colorado Boulder, and the University of South Carolina – have been targeted by false reports of active shooters.

The hoaxes sent students fleeing classrooms, disrupted campus life, and drew heavily armed police to the scenes. At Villanova, an orientation Mass ended in panic when an audience member shouted a threat. “Honestly, at that moment I thought, ‘I’m gonna die,’” said student Ava Petrosky. In Chattanooga, senior Luke Robbins described scenes of chaos as students were rushed out by officers armed with assault rifles.

The FBI said it is “seeing an increase in swatting events across the country” and warned that each false call drains resources, costs taxpayers thousands, and endangers innocent lives. The agency set up a nationwide tracking database in 2023, already logging thousands of incidents.

Past cases have had grave consequences, with some hoaxes resulting in fatal police shootings. Several perpetrators, from the U.S., Europe, and Israel, have been jailed for orchestrating swatting calls — some even livestreaming raids or targeting religious institutions.

Amid the back-to-school season, the FBI is calling on students and the public to report suspicious activity immediately, stressing that such hoaxes pose deadly risks despite being intended as pranks.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar