Students at the University of South Carolina were sent into panic when they received an active shooter alert and police rushed to the library.

The university had fielded two separate calls on Sunday that included sounds of gunfire.

But the reports turned out to be false, part of a wave of so-called "swatting" hoaxes that have targeted American universities as students returned to campuses for fall classes.

Similarly baseless reports hit Villanova University and the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga last week, and at least seven more schools on Monday, according to campus alerts and school and police statements.

West Virginia University responded to yet another hoax Tuesday morning.

Experts warn that swatting -- deliberately phoning in a false emergency to trigger a law enforcement r

See Full Page