Supplemental Info:

Multiple law enforcement agencies have reported hoax calls involving a caller with a heavy foreign accent stating the school’s name and address. The caller claims to be a teacher and are reporting a student has shot another student inside the school. The caller then states the shooting occurred in room numbers that are ultimately found to not exist.

The hoax calls are referred to as "swatting." The term denotes calls that falsely report an act of violence in progress or about to occur. The resulting rapid deployment of armed law enforcement to a specific target, anticipating possible violence, has sometimes ended tragically.

VOIP Calls From Overseas

Perhaps most curious are reports from local authorities in several states who say many of the calls are originating from overseas using Voice Over IP (VOIP) technology. And the country of origin? Ethiopia.

It is believed that the recent wave is being coordinated by a group of people including foreign actors and "swat-for-hire cybercriminals" who carry out hoax emergency calls for money.

In 2015, New Jersey state cybersecurity officials issued a bulletin (PDF) on the then rise in swatting calls. The bulletin cautions that while certain incident types and tactics have received more media coverage than others, swatting scenarios have included bomb threats, active shooter reports, threats of an imminent shooting rampage, hostage scenarios, and threats involving chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, or explosives (CBRNE) agents.

Although a motive has not been established for the wave of calls, it is clear they are being made in an organized, systematic manner which takes research and planning. This itself is raising particular concerns with law enforcement at all levels. Is the goal simply to spread fear in our communities, or to perhaps gauge response times and tactics?

AlertsUSA urges caution, vigilance, and increased situational awareness on the part of parents, school employees, and law enforcement.