Archive · 13 Jan 2026
Australian Teen Charged with Swatting Hoaxes in US
A teenage boy from a rural area in Australia was charged with making fake calls about mass shootings in the US.
These calls, called 'swatting,' caused a lot of fear and disruption.
The boy was also found to have a gun he wasn't allowed to have.
Police in Australia and the FBI worked together to investigate.
They said these kinds of crimes are often done by young people to become famous online.
The boy's actions affected many people, businesses, and emergency services in the US, costing a lot of money.
An Australian teen was charged with 12 counts of telecommunications offences for making hoax mass shooting calls in the US.
He was also charged with one count of unauthorised possession of a prohibited firearm.
The investigation was conducted by the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the FBI.
The hoax calls caused widespread alarm and significant financial implications in the US.
The boy is part of an online crime network and allegedly committed the crimes for online notoriety.
- Who
- A teenage boy from regional New South Wales, Australia
- What
- Charged with making hoax mass shooting calls (swatting) in the US and possessing a prohibited firearm
- When
- Charged on Tuesday, January 9, 2024 (exact date not specified in articles)
- Where
- Australia (investigation and charges), US (targets of hoax calls)
- Why
- To achieve status, notoriety, and recognition in online groups
- Suspect
- Teenage boy from regional New South Wales
- Charges
- 12 counts of telecommunications offences, 1 count of unauthorised firearm possession
- Investigation
- AFP Taskforce Pompilid, FBI intelligence
- Crime
- Swatting (false mass shooting reports)
- Impact
- Widespread alarm, financial implications in the US
- Motivation
- Online notoriety and recognition