'Siri 108' Prank Could Hurt Someone: Police

A potentially life-saving iPhone feature is part of a social media prank that has police cautioning smartphone users.

Saying "Hey Siri, 108," will prompt iPhones to call 911. According to WGN, "108," is the equivalent of 911 in India, but the command will prompt Siri to call for emergency services based on the iPhone's location.
Twitter and Facebook posts like these have tricked some people into accidentally calling for help:

The "108" command will start a five-second countdown, allowing users to cancel the emergency call, but some social media "pranksters" have attempted to trick people into not looking at their phones until the call has been placed:

If You Have An iPhone Just Tell SIRI 108 close your eyes and wait 20 seconds.

Then share what happened

— kamisan (@1kamisan) March" class="redactor-linkify-object">https://twitter.com/1kamisan/s... 22, 2017

While some people think it's a joke, the consequences could tie up emergency lines and delay help in the event of a real emergency, when seconds count.

"The result is a joke, but it's not very fun," a police department in Wisconsin warned residents. "This prank is problematic because it uses resources that are vital for others trying to receive help in real emergency situations. Roughly 240 million calls are made to 911 in the United States each year and placing prank calls can be considered a crime."

Written by Shannon Antinori (Patch National Staff)

Image: Wikimedia Commons