The act of swatting is becoming increasing problematic, especially within the gaming community in North America. A case in point is the unnamed teenager from Camarillo, California, who has admitted to the authorities that he orchestrated a trilogy of swattings earlier this year.
The 13-year-old, who couldn't be named due to his age, admitted to swatting a classmate and a teacher, as well as a rival Minecraft player based in Ocean City, New Jersey.
As reported by Ars Technica, Det. Gene Martinez of the Ventura County Sheriff's Department said that the boy "felt he was wronged," as well as confirming a few details. In one of the swattings (all of which took place in January) the boy hoaxed authorities by suggesting that 10 hostages were being ransomed for $30,000.
"The Camarillo incident there were 20-plus officers there. I was at that call. We basically surrounded the house," Martinez explained. According to police they traced the boy via his IP address, and when they visited his home they found phone spoofing software on a computer. The boy has been released into the custody of his parents, and will appear in juvenile court next month.
There's been a spate of similar incidents in recent times. At the end of last year a Bungie exec had police choppers above his home, and in a similar case Daybreak Game Company (then SOE) chief John Smedley's plane was grounded following a bomb threat. These are both high profile cases, but there's also been many examples of gamers swatting each other for perceived slights. Alas, it seems to be a problem that just won't go away.