US Senator Rick Scott said his Florida home was “swatted” while he was out for dinner with his wife in the city of Naples.
“Last night, while at dinner with my wife, cowards ‘swatted’ my home in Naples. These criminals wasted the time & resources of our law enforcement in a sick attempt to terrorize my family,” the Florida Republican wrote on X on Thursday, 28 December.
Around 9pm, Naples Police said it received a report of a shooting that happened in the 3100 block of Gordon Drive in Naples. Within 15 minutes, however, authorities said they had determined that there had been no shooting and that it was a “swatting event.”
Officials say they contacted the politician who returned to his home and asked officers to carry out a search inside it. After searching, the officers didn’t find anything out of the ordinary.
Typically, “swatting” involves calling in a false report to 911, prompting an emergency response from law enforcement as an extreme prank or form of harassment.
“Swatting is not a new threat,” the police department wrote. Authorities said that motivations for swatting include “the attention gained from national media coverage, used as a form of harassment or prank, revenge, and/or financial gain.”
The department warned that this kind of prank “pulls limited resources away from other possible valid emergencies.”
Mr Scott isn’t the only member of Congress to have been a victim of swatting as of late.
Georgia Republican Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted on Christmas that she had been “swatted,” adding that “this is like the 8th time.” This swatting call was traced back to someone from Rome, New York, police later said.
The Republican firebrand also wrote on 28 December that her two daughters’ homes had been swatted.
“Big thanks to the police who responded! We appreciate you and support you!” she wrote on X. “Whoever is doing this, you are going to get caught and it won’t be funny to you anymore.”
Ms Greene later tweeted, “Swatting calls are coming in on many Members of Congress, Senators, State Reps and Mayors and Lt Governors, and many members of our families. Is our government under attack? Swatting calls are also police harassment and an attack on police. We need to stop this now.”
It’s unclear if any of these incidents involving Congress members and their families are linked.
