Chris the Hacker
Chris J. Perron, known as "the Hacker," stands as the proprietor of DatBoys Data Recovery Inc., an IT service and computer repair enterprise based in Belmont, Massachusetts. Unlike many prank call victims who react with frustration or involve law enforcement, Chris took a unique approach by attempting to confront the pranksters directly. He delved into tracking the IP addresses of Skype calls aimed at his business. He also, under an alias, endeavoured to infiltrate prominent prank call forums, like Realm of Darkness, with the aim of gathering intelligence on the Soundboard Prank Call community and undermining it from within.
Displaying a vindictive streak, Chris even went so far as to threaten falsely incriminating random prank callers by providing their IP addresses to the police. He claimed these individuals would shoulder blame for any perceived offenses against him, even including scratches on his gold 1994 Subaru minivan. However, this approach garnered disapproval and backfired when TTS (Text To Speech) voice programs were employed in subsequent calls to mislead and confuse him.
Notably, Chris exhibited gullibility and desperation during these calls, leading him to believe that MistahBlonde2 was Brian Kugler, the son of former Unilever CEO Ralph Kugler. Convinced by the TTS, he even contemplated legal action against the Kugler family. However, a later TTS call revealed the joke, prompting Chris to abandon this course.
Uniquely, Chris has acquired extensive knowledge of the Soundboard Prank Call community, even identifying individual pranksters by their style. This awareness is sometimes wielded as an intimidation tactic during calls. He was eventually granted his own victim soundboard, contributing to his popularity within the community. Chris occasionally adopts different aliases, like Stageman, which he used during his involvement in a brief band stint.
Chris has endured some of the most severe pranks, transitioning from harmless prank calls to malicious harassment. One particularly malicious example involved a three-way call with the Belmont Fire Department, where a mechanised text-to-speech voice falsely reported a fire at his location. Despite Chris's efforts to clarify the situation, a fire truck was dispatched due to protocol, illustrating the extent of the prank's impact.
During a recorded conversation following another prank, Chris vented his frustration about the ongoing harassment. This irony wasn't lost as Chris offered advice on handling prank callers, which resembled seeking snowboarding guidance from a desert dweller.
In a subsequent incident, Chris engaged on a phone number complaint forum, specifically addressing the page associated with Skype's default outbound number (202-580-8200). Mistakenly assuming posts were from prank callers, he issued a warning and threat against MistahBlonde2, who was connected to a fire prank targeting Chris.
