A nightmare scenario for any streamer or gamer is a swatting attack. This is when someone finds out who you are, where you live and calls in a fake threat to a local police station. The police take every threat seriously, and more than one person has died as a result of a swatting attack. Swatting is a crime. For those unfamiliar with the term, swatting is the act of creating a hoax 911 call typically involving hostages, gunfire, or other acts of extreme violence, with the goal of diverting emergency public safety resources to an unsuspecting person’s residence. Anyone can be the target of swatting, but victims are typically associated with the tech industry, video game industry, and/or the online broadcasting community. If you are swatted or believe you are at risk of being swatted, you can also proactively work with local law enforcement to prevent future escalation.
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