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That’s the question many pranksters are asking, especially given the recent rise in celebrities such as Russell Brand appearing in the media for prank calling offenses.
Information on the legality of making prank calls is very confusing, mainly because they are a collection of conflicting views. So let’s clear that up…
Prank Call Myths:
- Prank calls are illegal
- You cannot prank call someone at random
- Recording a prank call is not allowed
Prank calls are perfectly legal as long as you understand the specific boundaries in place and why they are there. The regulations are very simple, but require you do not act in breach of them as you can be reported for various different violations.
What’s Not Allowed:
- Making threats and saying abusive things
- Recording a prank call containing personal information and making it public without the consent of the person involved as this violates their data protection rights
- Impersonating a person of legal authority, for example a police officer
- Prank calls made to emergency services with false information
- Repeat calls to the same person may be grounds for malicious calling as it may cause distress
In short, prank calls are legal as long as you stick to the basic rules above. Usually the best prank calls consist of winding up someone in order to cause humiliation.
These sort of pranks are a lot more satisfying when played on someone you know, as you will be able to hear their reactions and make fun of them for a long time to come!
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