For over 200 years the U.S. Coast Guard has responded to distress calls at sea.  But lately, more and more of those calls are found to be false -- hoaxes sent by people looking for kicks.  In 1990, the first year the U.S. Coast Guard began keeping statistics on rescue hoaxes, Coast Guard units responded to 205 hoaxes.  This number has increased steadily every year.  The U.S. Coast Guard, along with the Federal Communications Commission and other agencies, is very concerned about the increasing number of search and rescue hoaxes.

Hoaxes hurt everyone:

• The U.S. Coast Guard by placing our people in danger by operating ships, boats and aircraft, responding to these false distress calls;

• The taxpayer by wasting hundreds of thousands of dollars annually; and

• Those really in distress at sea by diverting resources away from legitimate search and rescue cases.