Getting back at someone is a very delicate procedure. You want to make sure that your act of revenge has enough oomph that you get under the person’s skin, but not too much oomph that you end up doing something that could be considered illegal.
So how does one toe that line? A TikTok user named Sean (maybeseanc) posted a video with a solution that’s garnered more than 536,000 views on the popular social media platform.
You won’t need much to enact your revenge either: Just a zip code where the subject of your ire resides (or close enough to it) and a direct phone number where they can be reached.
“Do you have the direct line for somebody you don’t get along with? Maybe it’s a politician or maybe it’s your old boss that fired you for no reason at all? Watch this,” Sean says in his clip. He adds a disclaimer in the caption: “For educational purposes only. Dont actually follow these steps.”
@maybeseanc For educational purposes only. Dont actually follow these steps…#revenge #thisoldhouse #textbomb #petty ♬ original sound – MaybeSeanC
If you’ve ever searched for any type of service online—whether it’s insurance coverage or someone to help you purchase a new car—you’ll know most service providers don’t provide their personal contact information. That is to prevent unwanted outreach and correspondence.
Sean discovered that contractors and home renovation service providers associated with ThisOldHouse.com are determined in pursuing potential leads, and showed that folks can submit their target’s information on the website for maximum annoyance potential.
Sean claims that using his method can cause someone to receive dozens of calls non-stop. He warns people to not use “This Old House if you’re actually looking for information on a company, but man is it good to mess with somebody.”
While the idea might be tempting, consider that it is illegal to sign people for telemarketing calls, according Lawpedic. While there aren’t any federal laws explicitly stating that signing folks up for telemarketing calls is outright illegal, there are laws in place against online harassment.
A number of viewers who responded to Sean’s post attested to how prolific spams calls can be. One user wrote, “my father in law gave our address while looking for Medicare supplement quotes. One of the salesman showed up at my house!!”
“Did this to my ex’s baby daddy with every free catalog subscription i could find,” another commenter wrote.
Another person said: “I requested information for health insurance 3 years ago and I’m still getting emails.”
Others seemed inspired by Sean’s post, stating that they already had a victim in mind to sign up for the persistent marketing outreach: “I’m doing this to my ex husband!!! Thanks!”
“I literally just paused this video and did it. I can’t stop laughing now. Literally took just 2 minutes,” another wrote.
The Daily Dot reached out to Sean via email for further comment.
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*First Published: Aug 13, 2023, 11:41 pm CDT
Jack Alban
Jack Alban is a freelance journalist for the Daily Dot covering trending human interest/social media stories and the reactions real people have to them. He always seeks to incorporate evidence-based studies, current events, and facts pertinent to these stories to create your not-so-average viral post.
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https://www.dailydot.com/news/bad-boss-gets-roofing-quote-from-this-old-house/
