THE CARROLL NEWS: You're Wrong, I'm Rafferty : the essence of the prank call You're Wrong, I'm Rafferty : the essence of the prank call ================================================================================ Andrew Rafferty on 10 April, 2008 01:50:00 I tell people I have a mature immaturity. If you’ve ever read this column, you know what I mean. For example, on April Fool’s Day I posted an ad on Craigslist saying that my friend was giving out a free Nintendo Wii to the first person who called him. He got 30 calls in about 45 minutes. However, between all the incoming calls he did find time to passionately inform me that I needed to take the ad down…or else. Cell phones have revolutionized prank calling. I would like to share with you some of the best calls I’ve made or heard made. I want to make clear that I am not the master mind behind all these ideas, but I’m not going to say I shouldn’t be credited for a few. Everyone loves ice cream. That’s why pretending to be Ben & Jerry’s and asking them to name ten flavors in 30 seconds to win a year’s supply of ice cream is a great idea. The usual response is, “Um, OK, vanilla, chocolate, Cherry Garcia, um…” The best part about it is, even if they name ten, it’s never fast enough. Your local video store provides some great entertainment. You can’t remember the name of the movie, but you know the plot very intricately. “Yeah, I’m looking for a movie, I think it came out in the mid-80s, Arnold Schwarzenegger is in it. “He’s pregnant, but not with a baby, with a lizard. It was kind of a break out role for Jeff Goldblum, who plays a zookeeper with a soft spot for reptiles. It turns out the lizard is actually an alien lizard and kills Goldblum.” Just combine the plots of three different movies. You can usually get the confused video store employee to say, “Yeah, I think I know the movie you’re talking about, I just can’t remember the name.” If you know a girl who lives on campus and has stepped out of the room, you have a great opportunity. Call her room phone and when her roommate picks up, ask to leave a message for her. The message is, “Tell [girl’s name] that Dr. Lee called and congratulations, the test results are in and she’s totally preggers.Yep, she definitely has one in the oven.” Then leave one of your buddy’s numbers to call back. The roommate is going to think the other roommate is pregnant. Whammy! I’ve heard this next one done poetically. Call a hotel, say you’re a guest calling from a private number because a naked man is running around the third floor screaming obscenities. You know security is going up there thinking that they are going to have to restrain a naked dude. I am a big fan of the “Do you take reservations?” call. Call a place like Burger King and ask if they take reservations. Then ask if there is a dress code. Finally, inform them that you are with a party of 52 and will be stop by in 10 minutes. Remember, prank calls are great, just don’t do anything illegal. And, always leave a friends number to call back.