Police were dispatched toward Smith's residence but were called off when they learned it was a false alarm and that everyone inside the home was safe.

Police were dispatched toward Smith’s residence but were called off when they learned it was a false alarm and that everyone inside the home was safe.

Special counsel Jack Smith, who is overseeing the prosecution of former President Donald Trump in two federal cases, was the target of an attempted swatting at his Maryland residence on Christmas Day.

According to two law enforcement sources, someone called 911 and said that Smith had shot his wife at the address where Smith lives.

Montgomery County Police dispatched units toward the home but were called off when the Deputy U.S. Marshals protecting Smith and his family told police that it was a false alarm and that everyone inside the home was safe.

No arrests have been made in connection with the incident.

  • RaoulDook@lemmy.worldEnglish
    6·
    8 months ago

    It actually could be very hard to find the perpetrator with overseas VPNs and VOIP phone numbers that can be spoofed.

      • RaoulDook@lemmy.worldEnglish
        42·
        8 months ago

        Dude I knew about that stuff before most people in the world, 20 years ago.

        VPNs can still make users anonymous, regardless of all the above. They are not cracking strong encryption in those tunnels, and overseas VPN providers can provide anonymizing VPN services that they won’t be able to trace. There may actually be nothing they can do about it.

        • voracitude@lemmy.world
          17·
          8 months ago

          Dude, I remember after 9/11 telling my dad about the comprehensive spying going on since the PATRIOT Act, and arguing with him that yes in fact it was possible with current technology at the time 🙄

          As a graybeard yourself, you should already know that cracking security doesn’t always mean breaking encryption. The US gets to throw its weight around with basically any other country, so if there’s any scrap of data available they’ll find it. Unless whoever you’re looking for has perfect opsec (which I’m pretty sure doesn’t exist because humans make mistakes) or works for an APT, they will be found. And someone at that level isn’t swatting politicians, they’re having the Pentagon (/s, couldn’t resist the reference 😋).