30 Funny Prank Call Ideas

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Prank calls can be a fun way to get your friends on a slow and boring day. They’re also useful for practicing new and different accents if you’re trying to work on your acting skills. Whether you call a random person or someone you know, a prank call can have everyone laughing if it’s performed well. Keep reading to learn about 30 hilarious prank call ideas you can try on your friends, family, or even unsuspecting strangers.

30 Amusing Prank Call Scenarios

1. Fake Food Delivery

Call a random person. Tell them that their food has been delivered and is waiting on their front porch. Hang up before they have a chance to argue with you that they didn’t order any food. Most people are compelled to check their porch for a delivery either way.

2. Blind Date

Call either a random person or a person you know, and tell them how excited you are to meet them for your date tonight. If the person you called acts confused, power through and pretend that you think that they’re joking about not knowing about the date.

Tell them that you’ll meet them at a coffee shop nearby. Then tell them you hit traffic, and you’ll call them back before they have a chance to argue with you. This helps if you have a mutual friend you can say set you up.

3. Lucky Winner

Call someone to tell them that they have won a lifetime supply of dog toothbrushes, Pizza Hut pizzas, or any other prize that sounds stupid but is still plausible. You win the prank call if you can convince the lucky winner that they really won.

4. Sign for a Package

Call a random number and tell them that they need to sign for a package that is being delivered at the front door. If they say you have the wrong number, recite their address to convince them. The person might get upset if they realize they’ve gotten up for nothing.

5. You Called Me

Call a number, and if the person picks up, ask them why they called. Act confused if they say that you’re the one who called them and then insist that they’re the one who called you.

6. Free Pickup

Call the person and ask about picking up the free underwear (or some other random ridiculous object) that is on offer at their address. If they say you have the wrong number, double down and insist that their number was the one listed in the newspaper. A few hours later, have another person call about the same free item pickup, or use different accents.

7. Free Tickets

To make this prank call, you have to convince someone that you’re calling from a radio station. The person you’re pranking is to win two tickets to a concert or show if they answer a few ridiculous trivia questions.

8. Scorned Lover

Imagine that you’re the scorned lover of the person you’re calling and call them to scold them for avoiding you or accuse them of having an affair. It doesn’t matter if the person on the other end of the line is a lady or a guy.

9. Long Lost Friend

Call someone and convince them that you’re a close friend from high school or college who hasn’t talked to them in forever. If they ask your name in conversation, pretend to get offended that they don’t remember who you are. If they ask how they know you, make up increasingly ridiculous scenarios from your pretend life together.

10. Haunted House

Call a person and tell them that someone died in their house thirty years ago and that the place is haunted. Bonus points if you convince the person that it’s a true haunting or if they report some ghost sightings of their own!

11. 31 Flavors

Call someone and tell them if they can name the 31 flavors of ice cream in 3 minutes, they’ll win a three-year supply of ice cream and $10,000. You have to sound serious to convince the person on the line that you’re really from an ice cream shop, though, so no laughing.

12. Secret Message

Call someone and ask them if a fake name is there. If the person says you have the wrong number, tell them if they call that you have a message for them. Make the message cryptic, something like, “Tell Jess the barn owl flies at midnight” and hang up before they can argue with you. Then have your other prank caller call Jess and ask if any messages were left for them.

13. Random Survey

Call a random number and tell them you’re performing a survey for a lifestyle company and see if you can ask some questions in exchange for a gift card. Make the survey questions as realistic or ridiculous as you like, and see how long you can get the person to play along.

14. Order of Strippers

Call the prank victim and try to confirm an order of exotic dancers who are scheduled to perform for them. You can play club music sounds in the background of your call or ambient crowd noise to make it more realistic.

15. Where Do Babies Come From?

Call and say nothing but, “where do babies come from?” This is one of the best prank call ideas to make to a business since, depending on which business you call, they may be compelled to take your question seriously.

16. Is Bob There?

Call a random number and ask for a random fake name (Ex. “Is Bob there?”). If the person says you have the wrong number, hang up. A few hours later, call back in a disguised voice and ask for the fake name again.

17. Out of Toilet Paper

Call the number and act like you are in a hotel or a restaurant and complain that there is no toilet paper. Insist that someone from the business bring you toilet paper immediately since you’re in the middle of “business.” If they refuse, pretend to get upset and plead that it is an emergency.

18. Fake Reference

Call a person and tell them that you’re calling them as a professional reference for a mutual friend or relative. If they agree to be a reference, start out by asking relatively normal questions (“How do you know this person?”) and escalate to increasingly outlandish ones (“Has So-and-So ever been bitten by a bat?”).

19. Drowned Fish

Call Petsmart or another pet store and tell them that you think your fish has drowned. Describe the fish as lying on the bottom of the tank, not moving or floating belly-up on the top of the water.

20. I Know What You Did

A funny prank call for the Halloween season is to call someone and make vague, dramatic statements like, “I know what you did, and you’re not getting away with it” before hanging up. The key is to not make any direct threats against the person you’re calling while still making your message cryptic and spooky.

21. I Saw You

Call your friend or family member and insist you just saw them somewhere (it helps to know their plans for the day) and that you waved hi, but they ignored you. Chances are, the friend or family member apologizes and says they didn’t see you.

22. Say You’re Outside

Call your friend or family member and tell them that you’re there and waiting at the front door. They will probably be confused but will head to the door anyway. If you hear them open the door in the background of your call, you’ve won, and they’ll likely be laughing as well.

23. Fake Complaint

Call someone and as soon as they answer, ask if it is the customer service department for a business. Without giving them time to answer “no,” dive into your complaint about the fake business, making it as ridiculous as possible. If they laugh at your complaint, ensure you address it as well.

24. Musical Prank Call

Call someone and begin playing music. While the person on the other end of the line is likely to hang up quickly, playing a song that sounds like a phone conversation, like Adele’s “Hello” might just keep them on the line for a bit and make them smile.

25. Happy Birthday Prank

Call up anyone in your contacts, and as soon as they answer, start singing Happy Birthday. Go through the whole song without pausing to let them get a word in. Once you finish singing, your friend or family member will probably insist it isn’t their birthday. Act surprised or make a joke about how you know they are lying about it being their birthday.

26. Ask a Stranger for Advice

Call anyone in your contacts (or a stranger or business) and after the answer ask them for advice on a ridiculous topic. Maybe you need help with your boyfriend who loves his stuffed bear more than you, or maybe you can’t decide what to order at a restaurant, and the server is on his way back.

27. Remain Silent

One of the easiest prank call ideas in the book is to call someone and say nothing. You’ll hear them on the other side of the phone saying “hello” multiple times until they give up. While this isn’t satisfying for everyone, it’s a good beginner phone prank to get your feet wet.

28. Muffled Voice

Call anyone in your contacts, and as soon as they answer place your hand over your mouth and begin to speak. Your voice comes out all muffled, and they won’t be able to understand what you are saying. Because this isn’t an obvious prank call, they will likely stay on the line a while trying to understand what you are saying.

29. Why Did You Hang Up on Me?

Call the individual and as soon as they answer say “Why did you hang up on me?” in an angry voice. Whether you know them or not, they will likely begin to argue that they didn’t hang up on you. See how long you can keep the conversation going before they realize it’s a prank and hang up.

30. Copycat

Your goal is to copy everything they say until they hang up. The first part of this phone call is easy, as they will likely answer with a “hello.” If you want something a little more challenging, then try calling a local business and repeating their greeting back to them. Hopefully, you’ll get a few laughs on both ends depending on your repeating skills.

Things to Think About Before Making a Prank Call

If you’re selecting prank call ideas, you should think about a few things before choosing who you’re going to call. You don’t want to call someone who is going to get super mad, and calling a random number puts you at risk for this. You don’t want a simple prank call idea to escalate into something more serious.

Here are some things to consider before you start these prank call ideas on people:

Don’t prank call 911, the police, or other emergency services. It’s illegal to submit a false call to emergency services and can lead to criminal charges or fines.
Don’t threaten strangers in a prank call. It’s okay in some cases to spook someone with a prank call, especially if it’s a person you know, but making anyone feel unsafe as the result of a prank call is illegal.
Don’t call someone more than twice for a prank call. If you call someone over and over again, this could also be considered harassment.
If someone says to stop calling, don’t call them again. Repeatedly calling someone against their will can be classified as harassment if they decide to press charges.
Caller ID is a thing. If you call a friend to prank them from your cell phone, chances are they’re going to see your number pop up on their phone. On the other hand, if it is a number that they don’t know, many people refuse to pick up.

Prank phone calls to random people can be a fun way to pass the afternoon, especially if you’re doing it with your friends. And many prank call ideas, such as the infamous “Is your refrigerator running?” call, are ultimately just good fun.

Prank Call Ideas FAQ

Is Prank Calling Illegal?

Prank calling isn’t generally illegal unless you make prank calls to harass someone repeatedly, frighten them, or threaten them. Most prank calls are harmless fun if performed well, and they don’t abuse the person being called.

It is illegal in some places to record a prank call, as this is considered illegal wiretapping. To avoid getting in trouble for prank calling, stick to prank-calling businesses or close friends.

What Can You Do About Prank Callers?

If someone calls you with a prank call that threatens harm against you, your business, your employees, or your family, you can file a police report for threatening behavior and harassment. The police department is able to track phone records.

Then the police can determine where a prank call originated in many cases. They’re able to do so even if you don’t have caller ID or the number is blocked. For people who often find themselves on the wrong end of prank calls, the best solution is to screen your calls with caller ID.

How Do You Find Out Who Sent a Prank Call?

The easiest way to find out who sent you a prank call is to dial *69. If you dial this number, the phone will reconnect to the last phone line that was dialed. This allows you to get the number of the person who called and report them for harassment if necessary.