FBI Investigates Swatting Hoaxes at U.S. Universities After Wave of False Shooter Calls

The FBI has launched a federal investigation into a wave of false active-shooter emergency calls—known as "swatting"—that have targeted multiple U.S. college campuses, triggering lockdowns and widespread panic.

Since August 21, at least a dozen institutions, including Villanova University, University of Colorado Boulder, University of Arkansas, Iowa State University, and others, were falsely alerted to active shooters in campus libraries. In many instances, callers injected the sound of gunfire into the calls for added realism.

These hoaxes prompted universities to issue immediate safety directives, such as the "Run, Hide, Fight" alerts, causing students and staff to scramble into barricaded rooms while law enforcement sealed off areas.

Federal authorities, including the FBI, are leading the probe, though tracking the perpetrators remains complex due to advanced caller-ID spoofing technologies and anonymous online tools used to conceal identities.

A group reportedly behind at least some of these hoaxes, operating under the alias "Purgatory"—connected to the extremist network The Com—is now under federal scrutiny. The group is believed to offer paid swatting services via encrypted channels like Telegram, charging $10 to $95 per incident. Claims suggest they netted roughly $100,000 during the recent spree, though these figures remain unconfirmed.

Meanwhile, students and educators are left grappling with the emotional fallout. Experts warn that repetitious hoaxes may desensitize communities, endangering responses to future real threats—a worry heightened amid the backdrop of actual campus gun violence.