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Report of Villanova active shooter was a hoax
Villanova's president says reports of an active shooter, which frightened students and brought swarms of law enforcement, was actually a "cruel" hoax.
Universities across the nation started the school year on edge when a rash of fake active shooter calls sparked fear and uncertainty for students, parents and staff.
An online group called Purgatory has claimed responsibility for the hoax alerts, according to a report by Wired.
What we know:
Purgatory's self-proclaimed co-leader, known online as Gores, told Wired that the group will make hoax threats against schools for just $20.
However, school swatting prices have since risen to $95 amid media exposure in recent days.
Gores says the group has earned about $100,000 since the school swatting spree began on August 21.
The backstory:
Chaos erupted on campus last week when active shooters were reported at Villanova University and the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga,
Villanova officials called the report a "cruel hoax" that caused "fear and disruption" as the school kicked off its academic year.
On Sunday, the University of South Carolina received two fake calls about an active shooter at a campus library, while Villanova University also reported a second fake call.
The next day, the University of Colorado Boulder, University of New Hampshire, University of Arkansas, Iowa State University, Northern Arizona University and Kansas State University all became targets of hoax active shooter reports.
Dig deeper:
Wired says that Purgatory "has been linked to 764, a nihilistic subgroup of The Com that conducts targeted campaigns against children using extortion, doxing, swatting, and harassment. Members of 764 have been accused of everything from robbery to sexual abuse of minors, kidnapping, and murder."
According to their report, the group conducted swatting calls on audio livestreams and celebrated the media coverage in a Telegram channel.
Gores told Wired that he and another member named "tor" were responsible for the hoax calls to universities, some of which they were paid to make.
When asked if the swatting spree would continue, Gore replied, "Yes. 2 months."
The Source: Information from this article was sourced from Wired and previous reporting by FOX 29.