Johannesburg – An Australian man is facing 13 charges after being accused of calling in false reports of mass shootings at stores and educational institutions in the United States that caused widespread fear, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) said on Tuesday.
The investigation began after authorities received FBI intelligence about an Australian-based member of a cybercrime network suspected of being linked to large-scale fraudulent “swatting” calls.
(Switching involves calling a fake emergency to trigger a massive law enforcement response.)
The AFP launched Taskforce Pompilid in October 2025 to combat members of cybercrime networks who use the perceived anonymity and sophistication of the internet to engage in criminal behavior.
A large amount of electronic equipment, along with an illegal firearm, was seized from a teenager’s home in New South Wales last month, according to police.
A weapon seized from the home of an Australian girl charged with making calls to US law enforcement has been included.
AFP
The boy faces 13 charges, including 12 counts of using a social media network to commit a serious crime and possessing an unauthorized firearm.
Get daily world news
Get the day’s top news, politics, economics, and current affairs, delivered to your inbox once a day.
He is scheduled to make his first appearance in the New South Wales Children’s Court on Tuesday and could face up to 20 years in prison.
“Taskforce Pompilid is the AFP’s commitment to stop the damage and pain that members of this cyber crime scene inflict on the public, under the mistaken belief that they are anonymous,” said Graeme Marshall, the commissioner’s acting commissioner.
“These criminals, usually young males aged 11-25, commit crimes such as swatting, doxxing and hacking to gain status, fame and respect in their online groups,” he continued.
“In this investigation, a small boy from the state of NSW is suspected of causing widespread alarm and chaos for thousands of people, businesses and services in the United States, which caused a significant financial impact.”
The FBI said in a statement that it considers fraud to be a “dangerous and disturbing crime” and warned that online anonymity is an illusion.
AFP also addressed the concerns parents may have about their children participating in or becoming victims of illegal online activities, and suggested monitoring their online presence, maintaining open conversations with their children about being online and seeking professional or community support when concerns arise.
Calling incidents have also been reported in Canada.
Last October, RCMP officers in Nova Scotia were called twice to the same home for fake emergencies, once for a shooting and the second for illegal burning.
“These types of calls are not pranks; they are criminal activities with potential legal consequences that tie up resources and can pose a risk to the public,” RCMP said.
In late 2024, Waterloo Regional Police charged youths with 13 separate incidents targeting high schools, community events, private residences, individuals and businesses.
In the first incident, Waterloo Police received a call from someone threatening to bring a gun to St. Mary’s High School in Kitchener and will injure students, leading to the closure of the school and the cancellation of the annual Relay for Life event held in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.
Over the next five months, several other incidents of swinging occurred, including threats to detonate explosives at a Kitchener business, a residential shooting and multiple shootings at a Canada Day celebration in Victoria Park and two Kitchener schools, leading to ongoing lockdowns, police said.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
