This article was co-authored by How.com.vn staff writer, Eric McClure. Eric McClure is an editing fellow at How.com.vn where he has been editing, researching, and creating content since 2019. A former educator and poet, his work has appeared in Carcinogenic Poetry, Shot Glass Journal, Prairie Margins, and The Rusty Nail. His digital chapbook, The Internet, was also published in TL;DR Magazine. He was the winner of the Paul Carroll award for outstanding achievement in creative writing in 2014, and he was a featured reader at the Poetry Foundation’s Open Door Reading Series in 2015. Eric holds a BA in English from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and an MEd in secondary education from DePaul University.
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Prank calls are a cornerstone of any juvenile youth’s upbringing, but you may be surprised to learn you’re probably committing a crime when you place one of these calls. While placing a prank call on its own isn’t normally a crime, the content and context of a call often are. We’ll cover all of this and more.
Are Prank Calls Illegal?
It really depends on where you live and what the content of the prank call happens to be, but generally speaking, prank calls are usually a crime. Even in states where there’s no law against prank calls, you may incidentally be committing harassment, stalking, disorderly conduct, or more.
Steps
Expert Q&A
Tips
References
- ↑ https://www.tilemlawfirm.com/new-york-penal-law-240-30-aggravated-harassment-in-the-second-de.html
- ↑ https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4057
- ↑ https://thesirenlppacs.com/4881/grid-features/a-talk-about-prank-calls-is-your-refrigerator-running/
- ↑ https://bjs.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh236/files/media/document/naacp_hate_crime_laws_by_state.pdf
- ↑ https://www.cnn.com/2021/03/17/us/what-states-have-hate-crime-laws-2021-trnd/index.html
- ↑ https://www.justia.com/50-state-surveys/recording-phone-calls-and-conversations/
- ↑ https://www.cbsnews.com/detroit/news/center-line-high-school-student-charged-threat-terrorism-alleged-bomb-threat-note-macomb-county-prosecutors-office/
- ↑ https://www.rainn.org/articles/stalking
- ↑ https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/alex-jones-infowars-comedian-arrest-prank-call-1234731291/
- ↑ https://www.southerncaliforniadefenseblog.com/2023/12/is-prank-calling-illegal-when-can-a-harmless-joke-turn-criminal.html
- ↑ https://www.police1.com/legal/articles/tougher-penalties-for-prank-911-calls-in-tennessee-stWNX16WjRHFX0Mh/
- ↑ https://www.congress.gov/bill/114th-congress/house-bill/4057
- ↑ https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/14/us/swatting-incidents-trend-explained/index.html
- ↑ https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2002/10/how-hard-would-it-be-to-trace-the-sniper-s-phone-calls.html
- ↑ https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/phone-internet-downloads-or-tv/stop-getting-nuisance-calls-and-texts/
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