Swatters are using AI voices to deceive 911 dispatchers, and it's getting worse

NPR reports that swatting hoax calls, such as an August bomb threat to Wheatland Union High School in Yuba County, Calif., are increasingly using AI-generated voices that sound natural and are hard for dispatchers to detect. APCO and NENA, which represent 911 dispatchers, cite a June survey of 766 public safety communications professionals in which about 14% of dispatchers said they were targeted using AI tools, and they are developing training to counter the threat. Officials stress dispatchers will always treat life-threatening calls as real and send emergency resources.