Simon Cowell is Latest Victim in “Swatting” Prank

Somebody called 911 on Sunday to report that Simon Cowell ( X-Factor, American Idol) was duct taped in his home and was being held hostage.  Officers responded to the call with force but found nothing.  This is the latest event in the series of "swatting" incidents.  "Swatting" is an attempt to trick an emergency service into responding to a false situation of serious nature.  The L.A. area has been seeing multiple "swatting" pranks on celebrities recently.  The LAPD is taking this matter with complete seriousness.  Officials are stressing the risk involved in responding to these calls and the risk to innocent people who could be unaware of the situation.  Responding to these types of prank calls can result in lack of response to genuinely serious matter.  Recent celebrities to fall victim to these "swatting" pranks include Miley Cyrus, Ashton Kutcher, and Justin Bieber.