A dangerous new iPhone prank has been circulating online, here's why you need to avoid it
If someone tells you to say the number 108 to Siri – the virtual assistant that ships with the Apple iPhone – whatever you do, don't do it.
The troublesome prank, which has been doing the rounds on social media throughout the last week, should be avoided at all costs.
That's because saying 108 to Siri will immediately connect you to your local emergency services.
The prank works because 108 is the Indian equivalent of the 999 emergency number in the UK.
As a result, Siri will recognise the number as a call for help and will connect you to your local service.
This is what REALLY happens when you say 108 to Siri
Saying the number 108 to Siri will immediately launch a call to the emergency services
Calling 999 when you have no reason to do so adds strain to an already overstretched call system.
These prank calls waste emergency responders' valuable time. And could have potentially fatalconsequences.
To make sure those who fall for the prank cannot kill the call before it connects to the emergency number, many of the prank instructions shared online tell iPhone owners to close their eyes for five minutes after asking about the numbr.
This is to ensure they do not notice the call connect to 999 operators until it is too late.
Other numbers to look-out for include 112, 110, 000 and 911.
iPhone owners have blasted the cruel – and dangerous – new prank on social media.
"It's a trap," one user responded to one of the prank messages on Twitter.
Another posted wrote: “I thought that this was like the one where Siri curse you out or something.
“I hit cancel right away, but now I’m scared. Good lord.”
"Learn from my mistakes don't tell Siri the number 108," one iPhone owner tweeted.
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Hundreds of tweets have appeared online, promoting the dangerous prank
One police department in the United States also tweeted a warning message about the cruel prank, after a similar gag circulated in their district using the number 112.
If you do need to contact the emergency services using your voice assistant, simply ask Siri to call 999 or “dial emergency services”.
Siri gives you a five-second countdown, allowing users who have made a mistake to quickly cancel the call without causing any issues for the emergency services.
The news comes days after tipsters revealed that Apple is planning to refresh a number of iPhone and iPad models in the near future.
The Cupertino-based company could debut its new products as soon as next week, according to highly reputable supply chain analysts speaking to MacRumours.
