A new high-tech hacking scheme, called “swatting,” is emerging, and it’s scary as, well, He Who Must Not Be Named or whatever nightmare makes you sweat. The Bad Guys use computers and other equipment to make emergency calls that appear to come from their target’s phone. They then report an ongoing crime that triggers a law enforcement dispatch — and occasionally, armed officers break down a door to stop a crime in progress.

In one recent incident, swatters targeted a man known for his work exposing web hosts and others involved in making it easier for web creeps to scam us, post child pornography, steal credit reports, and do other Bad Things. Read the details on Ride the Lightening, a lawyer’s blog focusing on electronic evidence and security, and ars technica, a blog focused on tech issues.

Then think about what trouble you can cause — on the page.

(I do not personally know either of these bloggers nor their work, and have not verified their accounts. Remember that the purpose of THIS blog is solely to provide information and ideas for fiction writers. People who make stuff up. Swat in Real Life, and you may find yourself in the Big House with Really Bad Guys.)

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