Swatting has recently seen a resurgence with massive content creators Adin Ross and IShowSpeed being recent victims of the horrifying act. In light of these incidents, YouTube Gaming streamer Ludwig revealed that he too has had the cops show up at his home before.
Swatting is when a random viewer calls the police and pretends there is a life-threatening emergency, causing officers to be sent to the content creator’s residence. Many of Twitch and YouTube’s top streamers have experienced this in the past, including xQc, who was forced to move multiple times due to viewers swatting him repeatedly.
During the most recent video uploaded to his Mogul Mail channel, where Ludwig discusses hot topics in the entertainment world, the former Twitch star explains that being a YouTuber or streamer is an enviable career, but it comes with its own downsides as well. One of these drawbacks is being swatted, according to Ludwig.
The 27-year-old points to the recent swattings of Adin Ross and IShowSpeed as proof that nearly every large content creator has had to deal with this terrifying experience. Ludwig then redirects the focus back to himself, revealing he has also been swatted in the past, but never spoke about it.
“I actually got swatted before. I’ve never talked about this. I was in a swatting situation; police showed up, guns in hand,” Ludwig said. “It’s scary because they’re telling you all the police things: ‘hands behind your back, hands on your head, take one step back with your right, one step back with your left.’ And you’re—the entire time—thinking ‘If I get one of these directions wrong, I die.”
After being placed in the back of a police car, Ludwig attempted to explain his profession to the officers to no avail. The solution they provided was to “get a different job.”
Ludwig doesn’t think everyone is ready to deal with the dangers that come with being a YouTuber or streamer, and he hopes to deter some viewers from attempting to make the hobby a career.
