Durham police is alerting parents, caregivers, and community members to an emerging online threat involving coordinated groups known as ‘The Com’ (short for the Community).
The group is reportedly coercing children into criminal acts such as hoaxing, coordinated online attacks and swatting incidents, police said in a video release.
According to popular streaming website Twitch, swatting is “when someone makes a false report to emergency services in an attempt to bring about the dispatch of a large number of armed police officers (a SWAT team) to a given address.”
Recently, a 14-year old was arrested for making a prank call (see below) regarding a school in Oshawa, which resulted in a lockdown amid heavy police turnout.
The group is believed to operate on gaming platforms, social media and messaging applications.
The group is primarily targeting children and teens, police said.
More information of the group known as “The Community” and how they operate can be found in the video below: