We're playing around with a hypothetical, instead of dealing with a reality.
Scam = Don't participate. Your first line of defense is to understand who is calling and respond promptly.
How many robocalls do we get every year where you can hear the electronic switching hooking up the next available operator? I hang up right there. No live person = hang up.
If they get past that and start in on the script, I start talking simultaneously and just say no thanks - and hang up.
If they get past that because they were an actual live person who was interacting - not reading a script - I respond politely, refuse, and hang up.
It's the people who want to GET EVEN who escalate the situation. They aren't swatting hangups - you had to go out of your way to play them and make the situation worse.
The rule with any phone call, now, in the modern age, is that if you can't ID the caller up front in the first 10 seconds - HANG UP.
I learned this because I DID put my cell phone on the no call list, and within 6 weeks was receiving calls repeatedly from all over the United States from bill collectors who had no background intent - ie nothing to go on. Except - I was on the no call list - so they called.
The "who called me" websites generally track down the location of the number and who's originating it. I was even getting called from some in my home town - the number was apparently popping up all over. They never asked for me personally, and that is the trend, harassment calling.
I dropped that number and didn't register the next phone, voila, instead of blocking four dozen numbers repeatedly ringing me, I went to three misdialed numbers in a year.
Congress is doing nothing about it - you have to protect yourself. DON'T ANSWER UNKNOWN NUMBERS, DON'T ENGAGE, HANG UP.
If the cops do show up, the first thing out of your mouth should be "I was just called on the phone by an IRS scammer" or whatever occurred. And as others have said, don't let them in.
Same tactic. Don't answer the door, don't engage, keep the door closed. Dial 911 yourself. Tell them.
The cops are the ones in the middle, as this phenomenon expands there will be a serious look into finding and punishing swatter's. Unfortunately, due to the American way of doing nothing about it until someone dies from it - somebody will die first. Then everyone will cluck their tongue and wonder how did that happen, we need to do something about it.
Until then - don't answer the phone in the first place. If you can't recognize the caller in the first ten seconds, hang up.
Speculation about how you are going to escalate the situation to deadly force isn't going to help in a court of law. Don't answer, don't engage, hang up.
You have to ask if some people are just creating the situation.