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How do I make a phone call to (not from) an elevator speaker, just like what a debt collector once did?

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Submitted ⁨⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago⁩ by ⁨dullbananas@lemmy.ca⁩ to ⁨[deleted]⁩

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  • neidu3@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Back in 2003 a friend and I noticed that the elevator where we lived had a GSM unit placed on top with the number dymo’ed on it, visible through the glass walls around the elevator shaft. So we started catfishing random on the internet and gave them that number to call around the time of day when people came home from work. Every time they complained that it was the wrong number because there were some random on the other end, we just replied “You’ve been elevated!” and logged off.

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    • dullbananas@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      REPENT

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      • neidu3@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        I’ve already been punished for tomfoolery/idiocy with that elevator. We noticed that the sensor that checked whether the door was properly closed carried 230V. I don’t remember why, but we used that to try and roast potatoes, and ended up blowing a fuse, putting the elevator out of commission. This was two days before moving out. Moving furniture down four floors via the stairs was not fun.

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  • litchralee@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    Could you explain more about what you observed? Many elevator phones have an inbound number, so that emergency responders can return a call, although it would be unlisted for obvious reasons. So far as I’m aware, the phone is akin to a normal phone line, rather than being a special line like a payphone. So if you did find the number, it may be possible to call it.

    That said, I can’t endorse messing around with the emergency equipment in an elevator, even though it’s not actively in use. Enough prank calls might cause the property management to disconnect the line, making it unavailable when an actual emergency arises. And even though that would incur legal liability for the management, that would still mean someone who needed help couldn’t get help.

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    • dullbananas@lemmy.ca ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Is there a risk in calling the speaker of an elevator that I’m currently inside of?

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      • litchralee@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        I mean, you’re still using a resource that was provisioned only for emergency use. The rough analogy is borrowing the exterior-mounted fire extinguisher of your apartment building to use it as a temporary paperweight, and then putting it back after two minutes.

        Your use of it in this way might be benign, but if everyone is doing that, someone will eventually mess up and that resource won’t be there when it’s truly needed. Plus, what is the objective from calling your own elevator while you’re in it? Just yell lol

        I don’t mean to sound boring, but while there’s a time and place for pranks and fun in an elevator, I personally think the emergency equipment is off-limits. Everything else is fair game, up to and including playing Doom on the LCD screen that modern elevators seem to have.

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      • Grey@lemmy.dbzer0.com ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        Deviant Ollam has two great lectures on YouTube about elevators you may find enlightening. He’s a security researcher and physical penetration tester

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      • lurch@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        you could cause a screeching feedback loop

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  • DannyBoy@sh.itjust.works ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    A debt collector once called an elevator? Did the elevator pay up?

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    • model_tar_gz@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

      Yes, and in so doing, payed down their debt.

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      • Krelis_@lemmy.world ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

        This joke works on so many levels

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  • CaptSatelliteJack@lemy.lol ⁨2⁩ ⁨months⁩ ago

    I was helping someone move and the elevator in the apartment received a call from “Walmart” saying they were trying to verify a charge for a PS5 Super Deluxe edition plus controller, and to give them a call back. Y’know the emergency call button in an elevator, and how it says when the light is flashing someone has answered the call? It was flashing. Very weird.

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