Payphone prank

A payphone prank is a prank committed by or to a person using a payphone, including ones in a telephone booth. Common payphone pranks involve the police, money theft, or embarrassing the person utilizing the payphone. Most payphone pranks are illegal in many countries. Payphone pranks are also one of the factors involved in the decline of payphone usage.

Examples

Pranks with a payphone

People who play pranks on unsuspecting victims through a phone sometimes do it at payphones. Some of them believe that they are less likely to be identified if they use a phone that they do not personally own. The prankster usually dials a number that they know and may leave the payphone while it connects or they converse with the victim in a humorous manner. Since the police in many countries have a short, identifiable phone number, they are usually the victims. Other people or groups include large corporations, people of prominence, etc.

There are also pranks played on the payphone unit itself, sometimes stemming off into a less humorous nature and into a criminal or advertising state. This may include vandalizing, damaging or tainting the payphone or the booth it is in. Graffiti may be put around the payphone telling people to call a certain phone number, including ones "for a good time" with a personal number the prankster knows; this is supposed to have a lasting effect on the person with that number, possibly resulting in a change of their phone number. The person who does the prank probably would not gain firsthand humor from it, but the effect of the victim emotionally and financially would seem to suit them. Also, someone, or a group of people, might try to steal the money inside of the phone, sometimes damaging the unit.

Pranks to payphone users

Since its invention in 1891, the payphone has had people playing pranks on or with it to this very day. A common phone booth prank that had high popularity from around the 1970's to 1990's decades involved wrapping duct tape or a strong tape around a booth while an encapsulated person was using a payphone. Some of these pranks were put on video and some were televised. Another prank includes putting a dark substance (e.g., ink) onto the earpiece of the phone so victims unknowingly have it on their ear if they were to use the phone with the earpiece touching their ear.

ee also

*Payphone
*Telephone booth
*Fonejacker