US gamers use hoax called 'swatting' to retaliate against opponents

A hoax that initially targeted celebrities by sending Swat teams to their homes has now become a way for US players of combat-themed video games to retaliate against opponents while thousands of spectators watch.

The perpetrators can watch their hijinks unfold minute by minute in a window that shows a live video image of other players.

"It's like creating your own episode of Cops," said John Grohol, a research psychologist who studies online behaviour, referring to the long-running reality TV show that follows officers on patrol.

The players, who are often far away, look up their opponents' addresses in phone directories, sometimes using services that can find unlisted numbers. They also exploit online programs that trick emergency dispatchers into believing the call is coming from the victim's phone or address. All the while, they conceal their own identities and locations.

The hoax is known as "swatting", after the Swat (Special Weapons and Tactics) police teams sent to follow up on the call.

Authorities spent an estimated US$100,000 to send more than 60 officers in April to a hoax in Long Beach, New York. Investigators said the caller was upset about losing a game of Call of Duty when he called police using Skype. Swat officers who turned up at the home of his victorious rival found only a teenager wearing headphones.

In Bradenton, Florida, at least 15 officers showed up at the home of a professional video game player after a caller posing as his young daughter phoned in a report that he was armed and drunk. Instead, they found him playing Minecraft for a live audience over Twitch.tv, an online network with millions of viewers.