Teenagers in the 1990s were also using the numbers six-seven… but for a different reason. To disguise a nefarious call, teens would use the function “*67” to hide their phone number in order to leave anonymous prank calls. 

“My brothers and I got in trouble for prank calling other rooms at a hotel in Gearhart,” said teacher John Bass.

Created as a tool to combat unknown callers and before the creation of Caller ID, the action “*69” allowed recipients to return the call directly to the culprit. 

“I used to call girls and hang up right away,” said Bass. “They didn’t know it was me because *69 didn’t exist yet.” 

Teenagers today have mainly traded anonymous calls for fake accounts, leaving their honest thoughts online for everyone instead of targeting one individual, but recently, prank calling has had a resurgence. 

Online shows today feature anonymous calling such as Brooke and Jubal’s “Phone Tap” and Elle Magazine’s star-studded “Phoning It In,” where famous guests trick their celebrity friends.

LHS students have taken advantage of the long-standing *67 feature, causing harmless antics through phone messages. 

“My friend gave me someone to call and I used Google translate to tell someone they bought 67 Labubus,” said junior Peyton Allen. “They sounded so scared it was so funny.”

Other students have found themselves as victims of the revival, receiving unwanted calls. 

“My friend kept getting prank called by these random people who were kind of bullying her,” said junior Sam Marsh. “They started spam calling me too.”

While prank calling is often innocent, it can easily turn into offensive behavior. Repeatedly calling someone could lead to a harassment charge, potentially having serious legal ramifications. Making false reports to emergency services, threatening criminal behavior or hateful behavior can come with serious consequences. 

In a world full of fake social media posts and dishonest depictions of lifestyles, prank calling can be a nice reprieve from today’s strict online culture and a nostalgic return to childhood. 

Used thoughtfully, prank calling can remain a lighthearted throwback instead of becoming another source of harm in an already noisy digital world.