'Very disturbing prank': George Soros becomes latest victim of fake 911 'swatting' call

LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK: George Soros, a left-wing billionaire, was apparently "swatted" on Saturday, December 30, 2023, at his Southampton Village estate in New York, joining several other well-known individuals who have fallen for the 911 prank in recent weeks.

According to the New York Post, someone called the Southampton Village Police Department just before 9 pm on Saturday, claiming that he had shot his wife and made threats to commit suicide at the mansion on Old Town Road.

Police officers were dispatched to the location in a hurry, but Southampton Village Detective Sgt. Herman Lamison told the outlet on Monday, January 1, that the call turned out to be false.

What is ‘swatting’ and why is it happening so often?

A "swatting" crime involves calling in a fictitious police report for a violent crime such as murder, hostage crisis, etc., that would necessitate a more intensive law enforcement response to the target's residence.

The purpose of the false police report is to compel the police to send a SWAT team to the target's home.

As a result, “swatting” diverts police attention from legitimate crimes and turns the law into an unintentional tool for intimidating someone at their own house.

“Spoke to security, searched the premises. It was (a) negative problem,” one cop responding to the scene reported, per a recording of police radio traffic obtained by the New York Post. 

Sgt. Lamison confirmed that the 93-year-old billionaire owns the Long Island estate on Old Town Road, but it's unclear if Soros or his family were home at the time of the incident.

Soros is the latest in the list of high-level US citizens who have been targeted in recent weeks, with incidents including Maine Secretary of State Shenna Bellows' home being swatted after disqualifying former President Trump from the state's 2024 Republican presidential primary ballot.

On Christmas Day, Republican US Reps. Brandon Williams of New York and Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia were also targeted.

Republican state Rep. Kevin D. Miller of Ohio reported being swatted, with Georgia GOP Lt Gov Burt Jones also being targeted with a bogus bomb threat.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and Ohio Republican Rep. Kevin Miller also fell victim to the increasing number of swatting incidents in recent weeks, as well.

Internet calls the recent incidents of swatting 'disturbing'

People on Facebook reacted to yet another high-profile American citizen's home getting swatted during the holidays.

One user commented, "This is a very disturbing prank. We should take behavior like this seriously, whether it's against wealthy people or anyone. It is hoped that the relevant authorities will investigate this matter thoroughly and ensure that this type of incident does not happen again. For victims whose identities have been assumed, this is a serious breach of personal security and privacy that needs to be handled and protected appropriately."

"How can they not trace these calls?" another user questioned.

Another user remarked, "I hope they find the person!"

One user wrote, "What took them so long"

 "This is unacceptable," another user commented.

One user suggested, "People making these calls, if caught, should get a minimum 10 prison sentence."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.