"assault with an assault weapon by proxy"

I wonder if this is because the threat involved AK-47s or if the State is covering its butt just in case one of the innocents gets nailed by an over-eager SWAT member armed with their M-16?

The term "social engineering" - particularly without quotes - should not be used in reputable journals. Doing so imparts to this intentional criminal activity an aura of respectability which it in no wise deserves. Stop it.

"assault with an assault weapon by proxy".... it was probably an unpatched WPAD proxy ;)

Social engineering is in no wise respectable, and as a concept it deserves to be associated in the public mind with fraud and crime. It IS a crime, however it is used. Social engineering is the deliberate and malicious manipulation of public perceptions to serve a private agenda; whether it is a hacking crew, a crime syndicate, a corporation, or a government doing it does not alter the essential evil of the act.

> A suspect in a separate swatting incident in Orange County, California, faces charges including computer access and fraud, false imprisonment by violence, falsely reporting a crime and assault with an assault weapon by proxy.

I love the idea that "computer access" is a criminal offense ...

Um if go back to the original article the assault weapon was an AK-47, not an M16:

"Officers from the Salinas Police Department rushed to the apartment last Wednesday after receiving a report from someone claiming to be a 15-year-old boy saying three men wielding AK-47 assault weapons were trying to break into his apartment."

I think that's what he was referring to - the crime was from the other computer user, who talked about AK-47s, and not from the police, who incidentally had M16s.

Surely one man's ‘social engineering’ is another man's propaganda?

And, while I'm in this jovial mindset, as far as “Social engineering is the deliberate and malicious manipulation of public perceptions to serve a private agenda”… I’ve not heard a better description of politics for a while!

So, if you're planning a violent crime, pretext an "armed intrusion" a couple of minutes before T-time, and SWAT will be busy elsewhere in the city... Or spawn a rash of these in order to degrade response time; I'm sure a methodical criminal with more than pranks on their mind could get away with it relatively easily.

"“Social engineering is the deliberate and malicious manipulation of public perceptions to serve a private agenda”

Nah, that's just posh talk by someone who has gone and clicked on a dodgy advert or been far to greedy when reading e-mails.

They know they've been caught by the dangly bits by some 14 year old and are far too embarrassed to admit it. Too proud to admit to being conned, they think up a new, less of a 'I've been a total mug' kind of phrase.

Only lesser mortals get 'conned' --- posh folk get 'social engineered'.

Won't help if you have ever user your phone WITH your sim. Phone serial number is one of many things transmitted over air. You know, they have to distinguish one phone from another... Telcos have records of them.

Purchase a new phone with cash, or obtain used phone from flea market. Or steal one. Do not use SIM or obtain pre-paid sim with cash. Talk only on crowded areas, and make short calls. Never too many times on same place. Watch for security cameras. Now we are talking about making truly anonymous prank calls.

*removes tinfoil hat and gets me coat*

...heavily SWAT armed officers"

Surely thats not as dangerous as people are making it out to be? They could be really big swats or, heaven forbid - a rolled up Daily Mail!