FBI WARNS COORDINATED SWATTING THREATS ARE TARGETING SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, GOVERNMENT BUILDINGS AND RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS NATIONWIDE

WASHINGTON — The FBI is warning communities across the United States about an ongoing swatting threat that has expanded beyond attacks against private individuals and now includes coordinated incidents targeting schools, government buildings, religious institutions, hospitals, public transportation centers and other public facilities.

The warning was issued August 4, 2026, through FBI Public Service Announcement I-080426-PSA. It updates an April 2025 alert titled “Threat Actors Use ‘Swatting’ to Target Victims Nationwide” and provides new information about the changing nature of the threat, common targets, warning signs and measures communities can take before an incident occurs.

Swatting involves making a false report to emergency services, a public institution or a private residence claiming that an immediate threat to life or an active emergency is occurring at a specific location. These reports can include false bomb threats, fabricated shootings and hoax hostage situations.

The purpose is to provoke an urgent response from SWAT teams or other law enforcement personnel at the location of an unsuspecting victim. The initial claim may be fabricated, but the emergency response it produces is real, placing officers, occupants, bystanders and surrounding communities into a volatile situation built upon false information.

A swatting incident can lead to armed police deployments, evacuations, lockdowns, school or event closures and major disruptions to transportation, medical care, religious services and government operations. False information can spread rapidly through social media before authorities determine what occurred, intensifying fear and creating opportunities for copycat threats.

The consequences can extend beyond the immediate target. Emergency dispatchers and officers responding to a hoax may be pulled away from legitimate emergencies, while the targeted individuals and organizations are forced to confront the psychological effects of an armed response, public exposure and uncertainty surrounding whether another threat will follow.

The FBI warned that swatting can result in violence, injuries or deaths. Officers arriving at a location must initially treat a reported shooting, bombing or hostage situation as a potential emergency. A victim who does not know why armed officers have arrived may also respond with confusion or fear, increasing the danger created by the false report.

Traditional swatting attacks often focused upon private individuals against whom a perpetrator held a personal grievance. The FBI has now observed a shift toward educational institutions, government buildings, religious institutions, transportation centers, hospitals and other public facilities.

The recent incidents are intended to disrupt operations or generate widespread fear and disorder. The FBI described them as part of a larger coordinated effort capable of targeting multiple victims and locations across the United States at approximately the same time.

This broader targeting pattern can multiply the impact of a single campaign. Simultaneous reports directed toward several locations can strain emergency communications, force separate tactical responses and complicate the process of determining whether each reported threat is legitimate.

The FBI has not identified any specific perpetrators or organizations in the public warning. It also did not attribute every recent swatting incident to one actor or declare that all cases are connected. The alert establishes that coordinated activity is occurring without extending that conclusion beyond the available evidence.

The FBI identified several characteristics that may help emergency personnel, institutions and community members recognize possible swatting activity. These indicators must be evaluated collectively and within the full circumstances of the event. No single indicator proves that an emergency report is false.

One warning sign involves the use of Voice over Internet Protocol telephone numbers to contact multiple victims or locations. These numbers may appear as strings of zeros or nines, blocked numbers or unavailable numbers.

A call placed to a nonemergency telephone number belonging to an emergency service or public institution may also raise concern. The FBI explained that some perpetrators using internet-based calling services may be unable to dial 911 directly and may contact another available number instead.

Another indicator is an emergency being reported through only one incoming call. Real public emergencies often generate multiple reports from witnesses, occupants or people nearby. A single caller providing the only account of a major shooting, bombing or hostage situation deserves careful examination, particularly when the call reaches a nonemergency number or public facility rather than an emergency dispatch center.

Calls originating outside the United States may also indicate swatting activity. Internet-based communications allow perpetrators to create distance between themselves and the communities they target, complicating caller identification and the immediate evaluation of the threat.

Vague or inconsistent information is another warning sign. A caller may be unable to provide a full name, telephone number or current location. Details may change when questions are repeated, or the caller may provide claims that cannot be corroborated through additional reports or activity at the identified location.

Mispronunciation of city, street or building names may indicate that the caller is unfamiliar with the area being targeted. A caller may also maintain a calm demeanor inconsistent with the violent emergency being described or sound as though prepared language is being read from a script.

These indicators are intended to strengthen situational awareness, not encourage the public to dismiss threats or conduct its own investigation. A blocked number, unusual voice or incorrect pronunciation can occur for innocent reasons. Emergency reports must be handled by trained personnel who can assess the entire set of circumstances and coordinate the appropriate response.

The FBI is urging schools, workplaces, places of worship, families and community organizations to discuss swatting before an incident occurs. Institutions should establish a plan for responding to unexpected law enforcement contact, lockdowns, evacuations and requests for information during a suspected hoax.

Preparedness can reduce confusion when officers arrive. Employees, administrators, security personnel and household members should understand that responding officers may have received a report describing an immediate threat and may not yet know that the information is false.

The public is also encouraged to review its online presence for sensitive personal information that could help a perpetrator identify a home address, workplace, school, family connection or routine. Publicly available information gathered from several sources can be combined to create a convincing false report or direct police to a specific location.

Photographs and videos require similar care. Content that appears harmless can reveal addresses, landmarks, vehicle information, workplace details or other identifying material. Images and recordings can also be manipulated or repurposed by malicious actors to support fabricated claims.

Individuals and organizations can consider services that help reduce or remove sensitive information from public databases and online platforms. Communities should also conduct preparedness exercises that account for the possibility of a false emergency report without weakening their response to legitimate threats.

Anyone confronted by responding law enforcement during a swatting incident should remain calm, listen carefully and cooperate with officers. Sudden movements, arguments or attempts to approach armed personnel can increase the danger during a response based upon incomplete or false information.

People who receive a suspected swatting call should retain every available piece of information connected to it. Relevant evidence may include names, usernames, telephone numbers, email addresses, websites, communication platforms, photographs, videos and call recordings.

Preserving original records is important because caller information, accounts and online content can disappear after an incident becomes public. Screenshots may help document visible information, but original messages, recordings, account details and device records should also be retained when possible.

Suspected swatting incidents should be reported immediately to local law enforcement. Anyone facing an emergency or immediate threat to life should call 911.

Information concerning threats or criminal activity can also be reported through the FBI’s online tip system, by contacting a local FBI field office, by filing a complaint with the FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center or by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI.

The FBI coordinates with federal, state, local, tribal and territorial law enforcement agencies to respond to and investigate these incidents. That coordination is necessary because swatting threats can cross jurisdictional boundaries, target several communities and rely upon internet-based communications designed to conceal the caller’s location.

Swatting is not a harmless prank. It is a deliberate attempt to weaponize emergency systems against innocent people and institutions. The caller may invent the danger, but the panic, police response, operational disruption and risk of injury created by the report are real.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) / Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), Public Service Announcement I-080426-PSA, August 4, 2026. (Free Download)

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