@spaf heh! I remember that one...

I think my favourite Internet prank(s) _of all time_ has to be RFC 1149, A Standard for the Transmission of IP Datagrams on Avian Carriers... which was *so good* that some folks from Norway went and _implemented it_... which promptly inspired a _song_ (which wasn't just a song, but a _parody_, doubling down on the Foolishness of it all.)

Gentles, ferals, cryptids all, I give you @ssavitzky , "Paper Pings" https://steve.savitzky.net/Songs/pigeon/

@spaf
Not the best, but with a car ;))

My boss from way back in the day really liked to secretly favor a certain car manufacturer, and that manufacturer’s PR and sales departments liked to repay him with small gifts and fancy dinners. This annoyed the team a bit, so one late 03/31 afternoon, when he was out of the office, a fax spewed out an official letter on his desk stating that, as part of a surprise contest, he had won their latest car model—in the most luxurious version—and that he would be able to pick it up straight from the factory in a city about 200 miles away. It was dated 04/01 of course. We were counting on him being him i.e. to call them with fistful of pleasantries, and that he’d start asking about the “prize,” and upon hearing that, we’d be able to bring him back to reality with a chorus of “April Fool!” That was the plan.

April 1st, an important meeting started at 10 a.m., but the boss wasn’t there. We asked his assistant where he was; he’s rarely late, and an hour had already passed. Well, we found out that he had rushed out of the office right after arriving, waving our fax, much excied. He wanted to catch the train to that very city at 8:30...

Well, someone anonymously pointed out the mastermind, so I moved on to greener pastures in less than three months. (Hence not the best prank ;)