The start of the 2025 academic year has been met with a string of swatting attacks on universities across the United States. An online group called Purgatory – part of a nihilistic violent extremist network known as The Com – has taken credit for many of the recent swatting attacks, which are intended to make law enforcement respond to a fake emergency.
As of Sept. 15, 2025, over 40 universities have been targeted with callers falsely alleging the presence of an active shooter on campus, causing emergency protocols to be enacted until the threat was determined to be fake. Swatting attacks are sometimes dismissed as pranks, particularly in comparison to physical attacks. However, according to data from TDR Technology Solutions, as cited in Campus Safety Magazine, the recent string of university attacks has impacted about 1.1 million students and cost campuses upwards of $62 million.
A review of publicly available information and federal court records associated with Purgatory reveals details about how a network of online groups operates, their adherents’ motivations, and the difficulties encountered by law enforcement when identifying and charging perpetrators. Further, this evidence underscores the scope of the problem caused by the increasing number of swatting attacks.
Nihilistic Violent Extremism
Nihilistic Violent Extremism (NVE), a term adopted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in early 2025, describes an increase in violence from “individuals who engage in criminal conduct within the United States and abroad, in furtherance of political, social, or religious goals that derive primarily from a hatred of society at large and a desire to bring about its collapse by sowing indiscriminate chaos, destruction, and social instability.”
NVE has received particular attention from law enforcement and the media due to the predominantly young perpetrators, most of whom, including leaders within the network, are under the age of 25, with many under the age of 18. Indeed, FBI reporting on the online NVE community known as “The Com” suggests that the majority of members are between the ages of 11 and 25.
The Com
The Com is a recently formed digital network where nihilistic violent extremists convene and share information and instructions about violent activity. The Com mainly operates in online spaces like Discord and Telegram, allowing global reach to further the NVE network, with the goal of spreading violence. Members of The Com do not necessarily need to subscribe to a specific group. Many recent attacks within the United States, such as the Aug. 27 shooting at the Annunciation Catholic Church in Minneapolis, were carried out by perpetrators who appear to be motivated by the NVE ideology and tactics, though some experts have cautioned against applying the label of NVE to attacks that don’t explicitly fall within the ideology. NVE ideology differs from other types of violent extremism because their primary drivers tend to be status within the community and inflicting harm.
Recently, the FBI has released more information about how they are classifying subgroups operating within The Com, particularly as it relates to their tactics.
Hacker Com refers to a subset of The Com comprised of sophisticated cyber criminals who are linked to ransomware-as-a service (RaaS) groups.
In Real Life (IRL) Com refers to subgroups within The Com who provide violence as a service (VaaS), as well as perpetrating their own user-directed attacks. IRL Com includes groups that engage in physical violence (e.g., stabbing, bricking) as well as those who engage in online or remote violence (e.g., swatting, doxxing), such as Purgatory.
Still another group, Extortion Com has received the most public attention, in part due to a large-scale effort to arrest and prosecute members of a group called 764. Tactics within Extortion Com include grooming, blackmailing, and extorting victims into producing and sharing content that depicts self-harm, animal abuse, sexually explicit acts, and suicide. 764 specifically targets minor victims and other vulnerable populations.
The ideological roots of The Com can be traced to occultic violent extremist organizations such as the Order of Nine Angles (O9A), as well as accelerationist groups like the Atomwaffen Division and the National Socialist Order (NSO). While some groups within The Com demonstrate clear ideological motivation, the primary goal of many within the network is to use violence to cause fear and the destruction of society, often with their specific ideology being secondary.
More traditional ideologies such as antisemitism or racially motivated extremism are present within The Com, though Purgatory does not show evidence of a driving, unified belief. Within Purgatory, ideology is more apparent at the individual actor level and may influence the targets and tactics chosen by that actor.
Purgatory
Purgatory displays several markers consistent with influence from the violent occultic organization, Order of Nine Angles (O9A). The founder of O9A emphasized that violence and harm don’t further ideological goals if the activity isn’t publicized. Within Purgatory and other groups within The Com network, the driving philosophy is to seek credit, notoriety, and public attention for violent activity in furtherance of a cause. Adherents may manifest this philosophy by seeking media attention, promoting violent activity on social media, or livestreaming attacks (as was the case with the recent Purgatory swatting attacks).
Recently, Purgatory’s followers has celebrated the media attention their swatting attacks have garnered on their Telegram channel and livestreamed some of their attacks to other members, which is consistent with influence from O9A on NVE and groups operating within The Com.
Though Purgatory is currently within the IRL Com subgroup, the group was originally a splinter group of 764 founded by former leader Evan Strauss, who was arrested on charges of sextortion of minor victims in 2024. Purgatory’s members utilize a variety of tactics in furtherance of their ideology including swatting attacks and occasionally sextortion, though they primarily operate using tactics consistent with IRL Com (these include swatting, doxxing, bricking, and similar tactics).
Purgatory has taken credit for a string of swatting attacks happening across universities at the start of the 2025 school year, including Villanova University and University of Tennessee, though the FBI has not publicly confirmed their responsibility. After the arrests of three leaders and key members in 2024, Purgatory shifted to its current iteration which primarily engages in criminal activity, including activity for hire – or what the FBI refers to as violence as a service (Vaas).
Purgatory provides new members with instructions on engaging Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to engage in swatting calls online while masking the location and identity of the caller from law enforcement. In addition, its members often provide others with details on specific targets. More recently, Purgatory’s followers promoted themselves as “services-for-hire,” saying they will accept payment to engage in online attacks such as swatting or doxxing, as well as offline attacks such as bricking for a fee, though they also engage in member-driven attacks. Fees tend to range from $20 for a swatting attack to $100 for offline attacks such as bricking, which carry a higher immediate risk of intervention. Purgatory claims to have raised over $100,000 in fees from recent attacks.
Purgatory tends to focus on soft targets that have a large public presence, such as universities, hospitals, airports, and businesses. These targets are attractive because they have larger impact than a similar attack on a private business or residence and are, therefore, more likely to garner media attention. The recent swatting attacks on universities were claimed by an individual who uses the name “Gores” online, and identifies themselves as one of the co-leaders of Purgatory. These attacks involved a false claim of an active shooter on campus, triggering campus emergency response plans, including lockdowns for up to an hour or longer until law enforcement was able to determine the alleged threat was false.
On the day of the Villanova and Tennessee swatting attacks, Gores posted a live stream online in a Purgatory-linked Discord channel with four other Purgatory members where viewers could listen in as additional false reports of active shooters were called in live. To make their swatting attacks seem more realistic, Purgatory members sometimes add the sound of guns in the background of their calls — as was the case during the attacks on Villanova and Tennessee.
Federal Cases Linked to Purgatory
To date, three individuals (including Strauss) publicly linked to Purgatory have been federally charged—all three in the District of Maryland. Strauss received additional charges related to sextortion of a minor victim in the Western District of Virgina.
Federal court records offer insight into the operation of Purgatory. Strauss’s sextortion charges are similar to other high profile federal cases linked to the sextortion group 764, and include filming the victim without her knowledge while engaging in sexual activity, as well as coercing the victim to engaging in self-harm under threat of swatting her family home or the home of her boyfriend. Strauss was found guilty and received a sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment related to these charges.
In addition to these convictions, Strauss, aged 26, was convicted along with two other defendants (both aged 18 at the time of their arrests) on conspiracy charges relating to a string of swatting and doxxing attacks in early 2024. The charges include cyberstalking, threats to damage or destroy property with fire or explosives, and communicating interstate threats. The charges also indicated that there were three minor co-conspirators who were not named. Strauss’s role in the conspiracy included finding targets and victims, doxxing, and conducting swatting calls. In one of Strauss’s swatting attacks, a false claim of an active shooter at a Delaware high school was called in to the local police department.
The second defendant, one of Strauss’s co-conspirators, was credited in court records with cofounding Purgatory and helping to create the group’s public and private Telegram channels, which have been used to recruit new members, publicize attacks, and share information, including best practices for engaging in attacks. Among other activity, the defendant was credited with a swatting attack that occurred on the Albany International Airport, which he later shared on the Purgatory Telegram channel. The third defendant was also credited as a cofounder of Purgatory and charged for his participation in the swatting attacks. In addition, the defendant was found to have provided scripts to engage in swatting attacks to other members and direction on targets. All three pleaded guilty.
Swatting Attacks Cause Great Harm
Swatting attacks are sometimes dismissed as pranks or hoaxes, particularly in comparison to physical attacks. However, the real-world impact of swatting attacks goes beyond the time spent determining the threat was false. Swatting financially impact its targets and the greater population. In addition to the estimated $62 million in damages caused to universities from swatting attacks claimed by Purgatory, a report from TDR Technology Solutions suggests swatting attacks cost Florida taxpayers $65 million in losses in 2023.
Setting aside the financial implications, swatting attacks cause significant public safety challenges. These attacks engage law enforcement resources that may be unable to respond to legitimate emergencies immediately due to the false threats. This is particularly harmful to smaller communities, like some recently impacted American college towns, which may have limited emergency response personnel available. Further, swatting attacks on universities cause psychological harm to those impacted. Even after the threat is determined to be false, the fear of a mass casualty event can linger in the victims’ daily lives. Media coverage can also heighten public fear and safety concerns following these attacks.
There is also a risk that the frequency of swatting attacks may desensitize the public to real threats over time. In the wake of recent attacks, some universities have sought to verify the report prior to enacting campus safety protocols. Even minor delays in the response could cause greater harm in instances where the threat is legitimate.
Though rare, swatting attacks have also been linked with physical harm to victims. The FBI has cautioned that the fear experienced by victims during the attacks has led to heart attacks in some cases, including at least one case that resulted in death. In 2019, a 19 year-old man was convicted on federal charges after a swatting attack led police to shoot and kill an innocent bystander, believing him to be armed as the caller alleged. In another case, the victim of a swatting attack fired at law enforcement upon their arrival, before the threat was determined to be false. An officer was saved by a bullet proof vest.
Despite the gravity of swatting attacks, law enforcement and prosecutors face a number of challenges investigating them. The technologies used, such as VoIP, mask the identity of the caller and can spoof a local number when the perpetrator may live in a different state. This may mean that the investigating officers will not have jurisdiction to charge the perpetrator.
Though some perpetrators of swatting attacks (including the three members of Purgatory who were convicted) face federal charges related to their activity, there is currently no legal statute that allows an individual to be charged for swatting. Aside from the charges used in the Purgatory cases (cyberstalking, bomb threats), a common charge used in these cases is 18 U.S.C. §§ 875, which relates to communicating interstate threats. The use of this charge has become more frequent in recent years, though sentencing can be inconsistent depending on the ideology of the perpetrator. Still, in the absence of a direct legal statute, law enforcement and prosecutors face an uphill battle to piece together sufficient charges to get a conviction and implement appropriate sentencing. This legal hurdle further complicates efforts to counter violent extremism inside the United States, as swatting attacks become more frequent and perpetrators can be more difficult to identify.
