Prank Calls Land An Upstate New York Man In Jail

Who doesn't love a good prank call? For much of the late 20th Century, this was one of the most enjoyable things you could do as a kid. We've all seen the Simpsons episodes where Bart prank calls Moe's, and it led to many others taking his example.

Typically, this is a harmless prank, but sometimes they can land you in a whole heap of trouble.

The ONE Number You Can't Prank Call

With most prank calls, the worst you'll experience is someone yelling at you on the other end. Unless your name is Thomas A. Margeson. This resident of Painted Post, NY was arrested on January 1st for making several prank calls to the 911 emergency line and New York State Child Abuse and Maltreatment Hotline.

Every report he made was determined to be unfounded, which led to him being accused of 18 counts of Falsely Report Catastrophe Or Emergency To Official Agency- 3rd degree and 12 counts of Falsely Reporting Child Abuse Incident to a Mandated Reporter - 3rd degree.

Why is This Illegal?

Yes, prank calling 911 is insanely illegal. It's a line meant specifically, for emergency, and every second a dispatcher is dealing with a prank caller is a second they're not able to help someone in trouble.

Even worse, these were false reports, that meant responders wasted their time as well. Even if you don't file a false report, wasting the operator's time is punishable by up to three months in prison and a $500 fine. I promise you, it's not worth it.