Associated Press
SPOKANE — A Spokane contractor named Bob isn’t humoring people with his cell phone prank.
He registered his cell phone using Osama bin Laden’s name, which pops up on caller ID whenever Bob makes a call.
The FBI has received complaints about the bin Laden impersonator, but there is no law prohibiting him from using the name of the infamous al-Qaida leader accused of backing the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
Bob’s registration went through with Cricket Communications without questions from the company.
Yet people receiving the calls don’t find it funny.
"We’ve received at least two complaints from people who have been annoyed and somewhat concerned that the name Osama bin Laden appeared on their caller IDs," FBI agent Norm Brown told The Spokesman-Review of Spokane.
Brown said he called Bob to "tell him it’s in poor taste, that thousands of people lost their lives as a result of Osama bin Laden’s planning."
In fact, when Brown contacted the prankster, the man said he didn’t believe it was really the FBI on the other end and called Brown back.
Bob said he signed up as bin Laden "in a spur-of-the-moment kind of decision."
"He said he did it for his personal amusement," Brown said. "I don’t think he had any intention of spreading fear."
Bob told Brown that Cricket was working to take bin Laden’s name off his phone.
Copyright ©2002 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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