53 Viral Pranks and Hoaxes

There are a number of pranks and hoaxes targeted at politicians and other high-profile individuals--just days ago, Florida Congresswoman Ileana Ros-lehtinen thought president-elect Barack Obama's call was a prank. Unfortunately for Ileana Ros-lehtinen, the call from Barack Obama, which was intended to congratulate the congresswoman on her reelection, was real.

Unlike the prank call Ileana Ros-lehtinen thought was routed into her office, the hoaxes below are all assuredly fake. From Miley Cyrus' death to Bigfoot and Rick Rolling, these pranks have made headlines for both their absurdity and hilarity.

In honor of Ileana Ros-lehtinen's viral blunder, there are a few actual prank calls thrown into this cluster as well, like the call placed by Russell Brand and Jonathan Ross that got their shows suspended from the air.