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[sn00zer]

Anyone else find it kind of crazy all it takes is a phone call to send a SWAT team to someones house?

not really as SWAT respond to immediate threats

 

[jwhit28]

What can be done if these calls are coming from out of country?

 

[Angry Fork]

I feel like the more the media talks about swatting the more people will be interested in trying it who have never heard of the term. Just go after people who do it then stfu so nobody gets any ideas or tries to emulate it.

 

[fader]

how eerie.... He looks just like my best friend... Well before he lost all that weight.

 

[Kinyou]

The federal affidavit, filed Sept. 9 in U.S. District Court in New Haven, Conn., said "the group primarily consists of Microsoft X-Box players or gamers." It described how a victim of doxing may have their personal identity details publicized or have their Twitter account taken over with the hackers "extorting individuals seeking to regain control of their Twitter accounting by requiring the individual to, among other things, send nude photos of themselves or calling the police to report an incident that would require specialized units like SWAT or the bomb squad to respond (swatting,)" the affidavit states.

This is really messed up.

 

[Donos]

Anyone else find it kind of crazy all it takes is a phone call to send a SWAT team to someones house?

Better than the reaction when it was a real threat and normal police officers get shot with automatic rifle/shotgun. Media would harp on authorities with "why didn't they sent in swat/special units..."
Always better safe than sorry.

 

[Akai__]

What can be done if these calls are coming from out of country?

Working on a system, that shows if the call comes from the US.

The FBI worked with Canadian authorities and catched a guy earlier this year. They are also working with the UK now.

 

[Riposte]

Looked up the case a little bit more, this is golden, Tollis' Dad is a state trooper and his Mom helped bail him out on bond. Tollis is facing 15 years if convicted:



Link: http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/local/UConn-Bomb-Threat-Suspect-on-House-Arrest-274944661.html

http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/...Suspect-Facing-Federal-Charges-274669651.html

I suddenly feel bad for his parents.

 

[jblank83]

Tollis used the name Hxrbor, according to the document.

l337 hax0r

 

[disastermouse]

What an asshole. I hope no one here is going to defend him.

I find that incredibly unlikely. They may have had M4s or something similar, but they would have been semiautomatic.

The media regularly confuses the terms 'automatic' and 'semi-automatic'.

 

[Zaku]

Good they caught him. He deserves everything coming to him.

Getting doxed isn't a huge deal unless you've done something heinous anyway. I can't imagine anyone who could possibly think deceiving the police into sending SWAT to someone's house is a better option than going ahead and calling the police about the blackmail you're being forced into.

Fuck's sakes.

 

[Kai Dracon]

I feel like the more the media talks about swatting the more people will be interested in trying it who have never heard of the term. Just go after people who do it then stfu so nobody gets any ideas or tries to emulate it.

In the long run, the "see no evil, hear no evil, do no evil" strategy never really works. The human race doesn't work that way.

On the contrary, the story of people like this guy should be spread. He was ignorant of what really goes on, and made a stupid mistake by joining an internet tough guy group after being harassed.

It should be demonstrated that this stuff is not a prank, and when you try it a world of shit comes down on your head.

 

[Alienous]

Ha-ha.

 

[TheYanger]

Anyone else find it kind of crazy all it takes is a phone call to send a SWAT team to someones house?

Yeah no. The last thing I would want is to call in a legitimate threat and have it be run over with a fine tooth comb before it got a response.

 

[JDSN]

Im glad that he is 21 so he cant built the narrative of being a innocent teenager, a grown man knows that calling the cops on the wrong person on the wrong time can change how the police engage this and make them more likely to shoot you and later pretend you were aiming at them with your wallet.

I think my biggest question after reading this is "why did the victim have to pay for the pizzas?" Can't you just turn the delivery guy away if you didn't order them? They can't force you to pay for something you didn't order.

Honestly? Because it sounds like bullshit he made to justify the fact he is a dick.

 

[kyoya]

On the contrary, the story of people like this guy should be spread. He was ignorant of what really goes on, and made a stupid mistake by joining an internet tough guy group after being harassed.

So he says in his defense, which is shaky as he admits audibly laughing in one of the swat/prank/threat phone calls. It's pathetic that he's pointing at usernames and saying "They made me do it", the whole thing doesn't add up, and he may even be sending the FBI on a wild goose chase over nothing.

This guy had a lot of time on his hands, which he should've used to go to the authorities to report he was being blackmailed in the first place if that was indeed what was happening. I just find it hard to believe he gets pranked with pizzas being ordered to his house then decides to join in on the chaos rather than get pissed off.

 

[FunkyMunkey]

Lock this moron up, zero sympathy from me. Sending SWAT teams to homes with children and families is putting their lives at risk. And then trying to tell authorities he was doing in as a means to DEFEND himself? Fuck off.

 

[Binabik15]

I think my biggest question after reading this is "why did the victim have to pay for the pizzas?" Can't you just turn the delivery guy away if you didn't order them? They can't force you to pay for something you didn't order.

He probably ate those pizzas, though.

Those super pro hack0rs are asshats, no sympathy for them.

And no love for trigger-happy and aggressive militarised police, either.

 

[Zeyphersan]

So he says in his defense, which is shaky as he admits audibly laughing in one of the swat/prank/threat phone calls. It's pathetic that he's pointing at usernames and saying "They made me do it", the whole thing doesn't add up, and he may even be sending the FBI on a wild goose chase over nothing.

This guy had a lot of time on his hands, which he should've used to go to the authorities to report he was being blackmailed in the first place if that was indeed what was happening. I just find it hard to believe he gets pranked with pizzas being ordered to his house then decides to join in on the chaos rather than get pissed off.

I'll admit, my initial reaction was something close to "He probably wasn't forced to do this by anyone"

 

[kyoya]

I suddenly feel bad for his parents.

So do I, it must be an interesting dinner time at the Tollis house as they eat their prank pizza.

 

[Bogey]

15 years sound like a fair punishment.

Not only was he keeping swat teems busy, possible preventing them from going to actual crime scenes. And not only did that endanger pets and property of those who were swatted. Nah, it even risked the lives of their victims - who's to say people react correctly when a swat team storms their house? A sudden, unintentional move when they storm your flat and you might well be toast.

So bye bye, enjoy prison.

 

[Omega]

I



Honestly? Because it sounds like bullshit he made to justify the fact he is a dick.

yeah pretty much.

Not to mention if you had to absolutely pay that one time because the driver and/or owner refused to leave otherwise, then just let them know to never deliver a pizza to your house and that if you wanted to order, you would carry it out.

 

[Catdaddy]

He'll find the love he needs in prison..

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

He'll find the love he needs in prison..

What do you mean?

 

[Usobuko]

“I was scared of being their next target so I did not inform the Authorities of their Actions,” Tollis wrote in the statement, according to the affidavit. “I stood by and watched as resources were wasted for hoax calls. I did so out of fear and regret associating myself with these people."

Hahahahaha.

 

[Robcat]

Lock these guys up like Jesse pikmin and put them to work so they can pay all the tax payers money back.

 

[shem935]

Well...that's one way to ruin your life. Way to go bro. Hope it was worth it.

 

[Shingro]

Really glad to see some consequences for this. Letting this sort of thing get out of hand would be insane.

Anything that has "people die" as a fairly possible outcome can't also fall under "Prank" in my book

 

[dhonk]

Someone caption "I've made a huge mistake" on that picture. It's totally his expression.

 

[FlyingSaucer]

Hiding behind past bullying to justify being a jerk. What an useless coward.

 

[JNA]

Someone caption "I've made a huge mistake" on that picture. It's totally his expression.

 

[semiconscious]

“I was scared of being their next target so I did not inform the Authorities of their Actions,” Tollis wrote in the statement, according to the affidavit. “I stood by and watched as resources were wasted for hoax calls. I did so out of fear and regret associating myself with these people."...

sounds to me like he's ratting out his buds in an attempt at a reduced sentence? could be wrong, but his whole 'victim of blackmail' story seems bogus as hell...

 

[wildfire]

Glad that justice is being served but I wish crimes of this sort weren't so easily possible.

 

[kyoya]

So in addition to Tollis, three British individuals are now being investigated. It's unclear if it was just Tollis or the other three who called in the threat to the BCEC the day before PAX EAST:

The group, two of which are believed to live in Scotland, are part of a larger gang calling themselves the “ISISGang”.

The three British youths, one of whom is understood to be just 16, made a series of calls via Skype threatening schools, universities and conference centres with bombing and shootings, the Sunday Times has reported. The prank calls are said to have cost American authorities £600,000 ($1million).
..........
And in April a call was made to the Boston Convention and Exhibition Centre by a man identifying himself as 'Matt Hag' whilst a gaming conference with 60,000 people in attendance was going on. The The FBI affidavit states: “Hag claimed that he was an Iraqi national who migrated to the United States in 2006 and was working for Allah. Hag claimed he was upset that innocent Iraqis were being killed and stated that his children were murdered by marines.”

He has revealed that the gang met as Xbox gamers, and originally called themselves TeAM CrucifiX or Die before changing their name in August. They had all been involved in 'Swatting', which involves calling in fake threats in order to get Swat teams to converge on the target.

The three British individuals are known online as 'Verified', 'Jordie', and 'Declaws'. Tollis has given the FBI possible identities for the first two, claiming that 'Verified' lives in Scotland. 'Declaws' may also be Scottish – he has Tweeted about visiting McDonalds in Arbroath, a port on the eastern coast of Scotland.

“Jordie” claims to be an “aspiring rapper”. Tweeting under the name “GDKJordie”, he wrote: “I’ve more or less ruined my life at 16 because i [sic] thought it would be funny to swat a few cocky gamers and terrorise schools.” The tweet has since been deleted.

Yeah I'd say you're about right Jordie.

Link: http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/09/15/ISISGang-Hackers-Tracked-by-FBI#disqus_thread

 

[JDSN]

I think Jordie should turn himself in.

 

[Fractal]

An act jeopardizing human lives, causing property damage and wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars has nothing to do with a prank. Most of these guys are fully aware of what they're doing, facing 15 years in prison might seem harsh, but here, I believe it's fair.

 

[Cragvis]

SOO glad they are actually catching these punks. Lock them away for as long as anyone else would get locked away for doing the same thing. Years. Its not a prank, its an attack on innocent people.

 

[ShinMaruku]

Only way to stop the majority of this idiocy is for him and probably 15 other people get the book thrown at them.

 

[Acorn]

Hit them with the bill.

 

[Akai__]

So in addition to Tollis, three British individuals are now being investigated. It's unclear if it was just Tollis or the other three who called in the threat to the BCEC the day before PAX EAST:





Yeah I'd say you're about right Jordie.

Link: http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-London/2014/09/15/ISISGang-Hackers-Tracked-by-FBI#disqus_thread

FBI and britain authorities working fast. Good to hear.

Hit them with the bill.

1 Million US$. Good luck paying that.

 

[Clefargle]

Jesse pikmin

Omg, /dead

 

[HawksWinStanley]

Pretty much exactly what I envision when I hear voices on the other end on Xbox Live.

 

[Tranqueris]

So is this grown ass man's sort of pity excuse that he had to join a group and take part in swatting so he wouldn't be bullied anymore? What? How about you stop talking to these people or engaging in whatever online activity is bringing you into contact with them? Seriously this reminds me of this scene I saw in one reality TV show years ago where a woman was venting to her male friend about another woman who was "literally" trying to destroy her life.

I'm gonna say that when you become an adult and stop becoming legally obligated to show up at certain places, like high schools, you pretty much lose all right to use easily avoidable social groups as an excuse for anything.

 

[Krappadizzle]

Disgusting and dangerous behavior and I have zero sympathy for this dude and his buddies.

Hope they throw the book at that loser.

Exactly how I feel. What if someone didn't know they were the police and pulled out a gun for home defense? Someone could literally die from pranks like this.

 

[Krejlooc]

More like Matthew TROLLis mirite?

 

[zeroyazi]

More like Matthew TROLLis mirite?

urite

 

[Gumbie]

More like Matthew TROLLis mirite?

Bro you so late on this one, but urite.

 

[Akai__]

This Jordie guy is pretty crazy:

https://twitter.com/XboxSupport2/status/511707190923497472

Police in his school:

https://twitter.com/GDKJordie/status/511842425653174272

 

[Haunted]

Here's hoping they also catch the others involved in this.

 

[bonercop]

15 years sound like a fair punishment.

Not only was he keeping swat teems busy, possible preventing them from going to actual crime scenes. And not only did that endanger pets and property of those who were swatted. Nah, it even risked the lives of their victims - who's to say people react correctly when a swat team storms their house? A sudden, unintentional move when they storm your flat and you might well be toast.

So bye bye, enjoy prison.

Even if the victims do react correctly, there's plenty of cases where the SWAT officers get a little trigger happy and kill someone holding a comb or just fuck up and throw a flash grenade into a baby's crib and so on. It's just indefensible.