Proud art of prank calling still worth mastering
by Adrian Lahola-Chomiak
The Gateway
March 28, 2011
These days, with the invention of caller ID and text messaging, it seems that prank calls have more or less fallen by the wayside. But I’m not ready to surrender this classic joke just yet; too many hours in my life have been spent trying to decide who to call and which prank to pull. So for all you wide-eyed, greenhorn, wannabe pranksters out there, here are a few tips on how to transform yourself from a refrigerator runner to a master.
First, let’s review the tools of the trade. There’s the phone, and, well, that’s pretty much it “” but you do have to worry about how you use it. You’ll want to mask your voice with a modulator app, like Funny Call from iOKi. This will make you sound like anything from Rebecca Black to a chipmunk. Now that your voice is anonymous “” and hilarious “” you’ll need to know three simple rules before you call.
The first rule of prank calls is do not pretend to be a telemarketer. The second rule of prank calls is do not pretend to be a telemarketer. How many times have you actually stayed on the line with someone trying to sell you tornado insurance? You need an alias that won’t trigger your target’s reptilian instinct to flee from bullshit.
I recommend choosing something that sounds official or benign. Fake a wrong number or act like a surveyor to avoid an undue amount of suspicion. The third rule is take the time to establish that alias with simple questions and inside knowledge of the target “” if you don’t take the time to properly build the foundation of your prank, it will fail every time.
Okay, now that you know the basics, it’s time to start making the calls. Choosing someone is simple. Scroll through your contacts and pick anyone who you’re reasonably certain won’t get the cyber police to trace the call after the fact.
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