Justin Timberlake becomes another 'swatting' victim
Justin Timberlake became a 'swatting' victim this week (ends05Apr13) after police responded to a hoax report suggesting four men had entered his Los Angeles home and fired off guns.
The latest incident, on Friday, came just a day after Rihanna's home in Pacific Palisades was targeted by a prank call drawing emergency services on a fake call-out, and two days after Sean 'Diddy' Combs' estate was at the center of a fake report drama.
Officials at the Los Angeles Police Department have launched a new
initiative to crackdown on crank callers who 'swat' the homes of
celebrities.
Dispatchers are being trained to help identify when a prankster
reports violence in a bid to stop calls diverting resources from
responding to real crimes.
A 12-year-old boy was recently charged with making false threats
about supposed incidents at the homes of Justin Bieber and actor
Ashton Kutcher.
Other recent swatting targets have included Simon Cowell, Miley
Cyrus, Rihanna's boyfriend Chris Brown and Tom Cruise.
Singer/actress Selena Gomez fell victim to a similar hoax on Friday
just hours after Timberlake was targeted.