100,000 hoax calls prompt plea from Dublin Zoo

useful_contacts

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080424/tod-ireland-animal-offbeat-7f81b96.html

Anyone else geta message like this, i did off a mate who thought it was funny but i saw through it at once(cos hes a pratical joker) Orginally thought it was a sex line no he was sending me:D

So did you get the text? And did you call the "Zoo"

Sherifu

Not yet.

DUBLIN (AFP) - Dublin Zoo appealed to the public on Thursday not to be taken in by hoax text messages that have led to its switchboard being jammed by an estimated 100,000 calls in two weeks.

People are receiving text messages to their mobile phones asking them to ring the zoo's number for an "urgent message."

The texts are signed with names like G. Raffe, C. Lion, Rory Lyons and Anna Conda.

"This is proving to be a very serious waste of our time and resources," the zoo said.

The zoo's marketing manager Veronica Crisp told RTE state radio they had previously got hoax calls on a few days of the year like April Fool's Day but the current situation "was getting out of hand."

"It might be kind of funny the first few times but we have lost our sense of humour now with calls coming in at a rate of about 13 a minute. The system is pretty much choked," she said.

Crisp said the police and Ireland's communications watchdog had been unable to help.

Smellyirishman

Girlfriend told me one Rory Lyons had called for me. Totally fell for it and didn't even cop on (in fairness, I was distracted).

"Eh, that's the number to Dublin Zoo" ...... "ooooohhhhhhh".

Thankfully they were closed at that stage.

useful_contacts

Smellyirishman wrote: »

Girlfriend told me one Rory Lyons had called for me.

I got the same name though knew at once was a hoax, why would someone call my mates phone looking for me!:rolleyes:

truecrippler

Can't believe that many people have fallen for those names. Jahsus!

BlitzKrieg

is there a rehab version?

I got misscall last night from a drug rehab centre very confusing conversation with them this morning.

silvine

That's the funniest thing I've heard all month! Have many people here got those texts?

CJay

I can't believe people are falling for it?

silvine

I rang the zoo there to listen to the helpline. It rang out. Is this stunt to drum up business?

My thread failed and this didn't.

Anger, hate , rage , resentment ETC ETC

po0k

I read 5000 calls, not 100,000.

GhostInTheRuins

po0k wrote: »

I read 5000 calls, not 100,000.

100,000 calls seems a bit much no?

ronnie3585

100,000 calls seems a bit much no?

I thought that too. Either way its bloody hilarious!

I remember doing prank phone calls using some of those names when I was in 6th class in primary school - good times!

Einstein

with a marketing manager named Veronica Crisp - what do they expect...

wonder what her nickname is

Einstein

Einstein wrote: »

with a marketing manager named Veronica Crisp - what do they expect...

wonder what her nickname is

We have found Mrs. Tayto !

pebbles21

got a girl in the office to call back " mike hunt" who was looking for her !gave her the number of a gynecologist:D

Sizzler

Watch out for a similar story next week featuring please from Michael Guiney's CEO pleading with the public to stop calling their shops and asking to speak to Annette Curtin

sidneykidney

Got the text and like a fool yes i rang the number( i was looking for annie lyons):o

JohnCleary

sidneykidney wrote: »

Got the text and like a fool yes i rang the number( i was looking for annie lyons):o

roffle this thread has me cracking up

What exactly did the message say? Was it a txt?

sidneykidney

It was from a mate telling me a woman had called him looking for me(why would she call him) and i was to call her back as soon as,it was the zoo's number and i was to ask for annie lyons. Hindsight is a great thing

The_B_Man

i work wit a woman by that name...

sidneykidney

In the zoo by any chance:pac:

The_B_Man

close. a pharmaceutical company...:o

missmatty

I wouldn't have fallen for that, thanks be to god.

I used to work in the zoo so would've recognised the number

Sizzler

missmatty wrote: »

I wouldn't have fallen for that, thanks be to god.

I used to work in the zoo so would've recognised the number

Plenty of monkeying around? Did you have a penguin with your tea at lunch ?

Did you try and ape your manager?

Did you find yourself lion around?

*gets coat*

Schism

Sizzler wrote: »

Plenty of monkeying around? Did you have a penguin with your tea at lunch ?

Did you try and ape your manager?

Did you find yourself lion around?

*gets coat*

I love it, more more!

sidneykidney

Schism wrote: »

I love it, more more!

+1 keep them coming,but no monkey business:rolleyes:

Pigletlover

po0k wrote: »

I read 5000 calls, not 100,000.

Apparently it was 5,000 a day :eek:

Maximilian

I wonder who the hell was behind it? I presume an awful lot of text messages were sent.

I'm glad I resisted the urge to write "txt msgs" just there. Although admittedly I almost immediately gave into that same urge. A small victory for self-control nevertheless.

skelliser

Pigletlover wrote: »

Apparently it was 5,000 a day :eek:

they were on joe duffy yesterday and they said they have been gettin on average 5,000 calls a day for the last 2 weeks, they cant get any work done etc.
it was funny at the start but now its no joke cause of all the resources wasted, they also said they were onto the gaurds but there is little they can do about it.

Slidey

Agh i got caught as well, boss rang me and said that there was a call at the garage for me.
I was on a course but i was to ring them back at their office in dublin and ask for "eammon key" grrrrr

Dizzyblabla

betafrog wrote: »

Got one from a friend saying that he was in UK with no credit and needed me to ring him immediately, gave me a number and said to ask for Liz...

The number was for bunckingham palace... :hangs head in shame:

I got caught by that one too, 'cept it was to speak to Charlie... they actually had a recorded message about the prank text first, and that if we *really* wanted to get through to Buckingham palace to hold the line!

AckwelFoley

useful_contacts wrote: »

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/afp/20080424/tod-ireland-animal-offbeat-7f81b96.html

Anyone else geta message like this, i did off a mate who thought it was funny but i saw through it at once(cos hes a pratical joker) Orginally thought it was a sex line no he was sending me:D

So did you get the text? And did you call the "Zoo"

Yea, i got one the other day.


"rory lyons".

I just replied to the txt.. "Nice try squinty eye"

buckfast4me

My last name is keys, anyone kno a joke I could make out of that?

useful_contacts

sidneykidney wrote: »

Got the text and like a fool yes i rang the number( i was looking for annie lyons):o

Mine said

Well liz, some guy just called my phone looking for ya, some Rory Lyons fella,I wouldnt give ya his number so he left his number 01XXXXXXX ,whys he callin me looking for ya gal. Anyway talk to ya later.Dave

i aint thick:)

sidneykidney

Ok,so I admitted to falling for it. Surely out of all you boardsies i wasnt the only one:eek:

orestes

Dizzyblabla wrote: »

I got caught by that one too, 'cept it was to speak to Charlie... they actually had a recorded message about the prank text first, and that if we *really* wanted to get through to Buckingham palace to hold the line!

One of my brothers got stung with a version of this, got a message off a mate saying it was an emergency and to ring a number and ask for Mary. It was Aras an Uchtaran (sp?).

He then developed a weird habit of ringing there while he was stinking drunk in the middle of the night and insisting that he be allowed talk to Mary because he had something really important to tell her.

Seemed funny at the time, but I just realised as I wrote this that my brother is a bit strange

Kold

Just got stung =/ Mate rang me a week ago saying Rory Lyons was looking for me then a mate that wouldn't know the other one said an Annie Lyons was looking for me. Didn't know what to think, wondered why the Lyons family were after me and how they knew unrelated friends. I should keep up on current affairs I reckon.

Who'd fall for Anna Conda in f*cking fairness!?

JavaBear

haha this sounds hilarious. I'm not loved enough obviously - I didn't get any messages.

FunkZ

Ha those names are funny. My sister sent me the message but still, feck off.

dh2007

My boyfriend sent me a message earlier today asking to ring some 'Annie Lyons' with a number in the text. I stupidly fell for it! I even rang the number twice cos I didn't cop on! seriously gullible.

He's always playin practical jokes on me - it's just MEANNN!! Once his friend sent me a text pretending he was Ray D'arcy and that they wanted me to go on the show and I believed that too! there are plenty of other things but I just can't think of em

I really need to work on the gullible thing!