A British man has been jailed for his role in orchestrating "swatting" hoax calls, a practice that involves falsely reporting serious crimes to trigger a large-scale, armed police response. Callum Dare, from Wales, is the first person in the region to be convicted of the offense.
Dare admitted to being the administrator of a website and participating in online chat groups that encouraged or assisted in malicious communications and bomb hoaxes. He also possessed phishing software designed to steal login credentials for dark websites and monitor cryptocurrency within users' accounts, knowing it was intended for fraudulent purposes.
During Dare's arrest, electronic devices were seized, revealing files related to a sophisticated phishing operation aimed at collecting personal and payment details from dark web users for fraud. The dark web is a part of the internet accessible only with specialized software, which masks user identities through encrypted networks.
Judge Lloyd-Clarke stated she was satisfied Dare intended for others to carry out swatting offenses in the United States, a country where law enforcement and civilians routinely carry firearms. "Callum Dare put people in danger by encouraging the triggering of armed police responses, for his own thrills," said Louisa Robertson of the Crown Prosecution Service.
Authorities emphasized the severe consequences of swatting. A spokesperson for Tarian, the regional organized crime unit for South Wales, noted that false reports endanger innocent civilians, disrupt communities, and divert emergency services from genuine incidents. The FBI Nashville Field Office added that swatting is not a harmless prank but a "reckless and dangerous crime that can have deadly consequences."
Dare will serve 40% of his sentence in prison, with the remainder to be served on license in the community.