United States
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Know it before it happens · 5 minute read
A prank to whoever does it. A crime against you.
A stranger calls in a fake emergency at your address, hoping armed police show up at your door. It's rare, it's real, and it's worth knowing about before it happens. Swatting means calling in a fake violent emergency - a hostage situation, a shooting, a bomb threat - at someone's real address, hoping to send an armed police response. It targets streamers, competitive players, and anyone whose address got exposed, often right after a doxxing.
If you are in immediate danger, stop reading and call your local emergency number now - 911 in the US and Canada, 999 in the UK and Ireland, 000 in Australia, 111 in New Zealand, or 112 across most of Europe.
Why it happens in gaming spaces
It's usually retaliation - a lost match, a leaked address, an argument that got personal - and it depends entirely on the attacker having your real address, which is why swatting so often follows doxxing rather than happening on its own.
Reducing the risk
- Keep your real address off anything public - game profiles, forum posts, old marketplace listings, package screenshots.
- If you stream or have any public profile, consider a PO box or parcel locker for anything that ships to you.
- Some police departments let residents pre-register an address as a swatting risk, so dispatchers know to double-check before sending an armed response - ask your local non-emergency line whether that exists where you live.
If it happens
- Comply calmly with any officers who arrive - follow instructions first, explain after. This is about your physical safety in the moment, not winning the argument.
- Report it as swatting once it's over, not just as a prank - in the U.S., the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov) tracks these; your local police can also open a report.
- Save everything that led up to it - the argument, the doxxing post, any threats - it's usually the evidence that identifies who made the call.
Swatting is a serious crime with real prison sentences behind it in most places, not a prank with no consequences. Treat a threat of it exactly as seriously as you'd want police to treat the fake one.
Real help, wherever you are
Help where you live
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Canada
Credit-card disputes and consumer rights are split between federal and provincial rules. Report fraud to your financial institution and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
United Kingdom
Card purchases may have chargeback or statutory protection depending on how and how much you paid. Report fraud to your bank and the UK's official fraud-reporting route.
Australia
Use card or platform protections and report scams to your bank and Scamwatch. Do not send money by gift card, crypto, or transfer to an unverified seller.
New Zealand
Use protected payment options, keep evidence, and report online scams through Netsafe, your bank, and Police where appropriate.
Ireland
Card and consumer protections come from Irish and EU rules. Contact your bank quickly after fraud and report scams to Gardaí where appropriate.
Worldwide
Payment-dispute and identity-theft protections differ by country. Use a protected payment method, keep receipts, and follow your national cyber-safety agency after fraud.
Common questions
The questions people actually ask
What is swatting?
Someone reports a fake emergency - a hostage situation, a shooting, a bomb threat - at another person's address, so that armed police arrive expecting the worst. People have been killed during swattings, which is why it is prosecuted as a serious crime rather than a prank.
Why would anyone do that to me?
Usually a grudge from a game, a stream, or an argument online, and usually from someone who thinks it is funny because they never have to watch what happens. It does not require you to have done anything.
How do I lower the risk?
Keep your home address off anything public, be careful with anything that shows your street or building on stream, and take doxxing seriously the moment it happens - a swatting needs an address, so protecting the address is most of the defense.
Can I warn the police in advance?
In many places, yes. Some departments will note on your address that you are at risk of a false call, which can change how a call is handled. It is worth asking your local non-emergency line what they offer.
What do I do if it happens?
Follow every instruction slowly, keep your hands visible, and do not open the door with anything in your hands. Explain afterward, not during. Once it is over, file a report and hand over any evidence of who threatened it.
Keep reading
If this one found you
Happening right now
Doxxing: When Your Real Info Gets Put on Blast
Your name, address, or workplace posted for strangers to see. Here's what to do in the first hour, and after.
A pattern, not an incident
Cyberstalking: When Someone Won't Stop
One unwanted message is annoying. A pattern that follows you across platforms, accounts, and time is something else.
Staying safe out there
Locking Down Your Digital Life
You reused one password for fifteen years. Let's fix the thing most likely to actually ruin your week.
Whatever you decide
You do not have to be certain to deserve help
Hotline advocates spend most of their time talking with people still working out whether their situation counts. You are allowed to call to think out loud.