Target Stores Attacked By Pornographic Pranksters

Megalith

Megalith

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Apparently, you can call into Target stores, ask for a certain extension, and have complete control of the PA system.

As pranks go, it's fairly low-grade. But Target has a problem. Staff at the store in Campbell, a small city just south of San Jose, were all but powerless to stop it due to how the PA system is designed. And it's not an isolated incident. According to local media, it's at least the fourth time this prank has happened since April. In one instance, a store had to be evacuated.
 
So, no one switched the power off to the PA system when all else failed?
 
lol I would have loved to be one of those employee's when those customer's started to come up to them yelling. So I could just hand them a troll face card and walk away!!!
 
Paul_Johnson said:
So, no one switched the power off to the PA system when all else failed?
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Might not be possible...something like a store PA could easily fall under the category of safety equipment in the event of weather. And since it is tied into the phone system, taking one down might impact the other.

My comm room at work ain't pretty and is a mix of telephone block wiring and newer stuff...you go in there to turn off a haywire PA and you couldn't figure it out.
 
HAHA for the managers not making sure that the employees know not to forward calls to the PA extension.

How hard is it to do that?
 
cyclone3d said:
HAHA for the managers not making sure that the employees know not to forward calls to the PA extension.

How hard is it to do that?
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the most difficult thing in large corporations is effective communication so, yes, this is actually a hard thing to do lol
 
On our base I used to be posted to a unit that had an extension that controlled the PA system in that building. Just so happens if you call it from outside the base, anywhere, it would work. Not sure if they ever changed it or not... haven't tried it in years.
 
Skripka said:
Might not be possible...something like a store PA could easily fall under the category of safety equipment in the event of weather.
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It is possible at many retail stores including Target.
 
cyclone3d said:
HAHA for the managers not making sure that the employees know not to forward calls to the PA extension.

How hard is it to do that?
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Apparently very. I worked in a hospital for a decade and it was a monthly occurrence. It was hilarious as well.
 
As a parent who frequently shops at Target with his young children, I find this.....

absolutely fucking hilarious.
 
They used to do this in walmart but from inside the stores. All you needed was the store number to use the PA system in most cases. Remember the one in Alabama i think last year, where the guy started telling black people to leave the store?

Lots of clips on youtube of people on those phones at walmart doing all sorts of things... and pretty much all of them are damned funny...good stuff indeed...
 
Wrecked Em said:
As a parent who frequently shops at Target with his young children, I find this.....

absolutely fucking hilarious.
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Everyone's way too uptight in this country, I applaud your laughter at the situation. Is it "professional"? Majority would say no. Hilarious? Definitely.
 
All retail stores that I have worked at in the past had a volume control on the amps for the PA. I find it hard to believe they cant control the volume at least.
 
kingsleytim said:
All retail stores that I have worked at in the past had a volume control on the amps for the PA. I find it hard to believe they cant control the volume at least.
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Easy to forget things in a panic. Maybe the guy who runs the PA system was away, out to lunch or sick? Who knows.
 
reboot phone system. there's a BCM or similar in the equipment room. Pull the plug for a minute. Problem solved for now.

Then... program the phone system not to accept outside calls or transfers to that extension.
 
az_max said:
reboot phone system. there's a BCM or similar in the equipment room. Pull the plug for a minute. Problem solved for now.

Then... program the phone system not to accept outside calls or transfers to that extension.
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You presume the phone and intercom are digital and can be reprogrammed.

Old buildings...I'd expect analog Old Faithful.
 
NickJames said:
Easy to forget things in a panic. Maybe the guy who runs the PA system was away, out to lunch or sick? Who knows.
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If you watch the videos none of the employees were panicking. Plus the duration of the audio granted enough time for someone to react.
 
kingsleytim said:
If you watch the videos none of the employees were panicking. Plus the duration of the audio granted enough time for someone to react.
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Lol floor employees wouldn't give shits, they would probably just be laughing to themselves. I bet management was fuming though.
 
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