DOCUMENT: Internet, Crime

Pranknet Boss Hoaxed ESPN Reporter

Audio reveals Malik up to his old destructive tricks

Tariq Malik

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ESPNU Reporter Pranked

OCTOBER 25--As suspected in these parts, last week’s telephone prank victimizing an ESPN reporter was the handiwork of Pranknet and was actually placed by the Canada-based leader of the online vandalism group, according to a recording of the call.

Early last Thursday morning, Elizabeth Moreau received a call in her room at the Hilton Garden Inn in Gainesville, Florida from a man purporting to be “Jeff Anderson,” the hotel’s manager. The caller was actually Tariq Malik, the 26-year-old Pranknet founder who lives with his mother in a Windsor, Ontario apartment. Malik is pictured at left.

A recording of the elaborate October 21 hoax, which was broadcast live in the Pranknet chat room, can be listened to below (the tape was uploaded to a YouTube page devoted to similar hoaxes orchestrated by Malik and his cronies). NOTE: The tape is NSFW due to cursing and Malik's use of a racial slur at the outset of the recording.

Moreau, who covers college sports for ESPNU, was told of an “emergency situation” at the Hilton. The 27-year-old reporter was led to believe that there was a gas leak at the hotel, and was first instructed by “Anderson” to place a wet towel at the base of the room’s front door. Moreau replied, “Are you kidding?” Malik responded, “No, I’m not kidding, ma’am. This is an emergency.”

As Moreau went to get the towel, Malik, 26, quickly addressed his Pranknet audience, referring to a recommendation that had been typed into a communal chat window by listener “Lamar 33.” He then asked his audience to vote on the suggestion by typing “1” for yes, and “2” for no.

When Moreau returned to the phone, Malik claimed that the “authorities” had instructed him to direct hotel guests to establish “full oxygen clearance” in their rooms by breaking out windows with a toilet tank lid. A hesitant Moreau, who had been awakened by Malik’s call, replied, “You really want me to throw this thing out the window?” Malik urgently stressed that, “We’ve already had to do this for four other rooms so far. Please, ma’am, it’s an emergency.”

After questioning whether, “I’m strong enough to do this,” Moreau tossed the lid through the window (the resulting cascade of glass can be clearly heard on the recording). “Well, one worked well,” Moreau announced. She then noted, “I’m so fucking freaked out right now.”

Though his mission was accomplished, Malik continued the prank.

He directed Moreau to “unplug your electrical appliances because they do contain electrical charges and so we don’t want any situation where they could potentially explode.” After having Moreau identify herself by name, the Pranknet boss then claimed to be connecting her to his supervisor, who would arrange for a room refund.

At this point, Malik--who places his calls via Skype--conferenced Moreau in with a Hilton Garden Inn front desk employee named Scott. Switching roles, Malik told the hotel worker that he had gotten into an argument with his wife Elizabeth and she “got upset ‘cause I cheated on her and she broke the window, we’re gonna need a new room.”

Moreau responded, “Are you kidding me? Are you fucking kidding me right now that you just did this? Who is this?” Malik remained silent as Moreau continued speaking with the confused hotel clerk, telling him, “Someone just pranked me and said that my room was on fire and I needed to throw the top of my…is this a joke?”

Malik then jumped back into the conversation, pretending to wrestle the phone from his wife. “This is not funny to me right now,” Moreau said. “I’m gonna fucking call 911.” Malik responded, “You shoulda sucked my dick harder, I told you that I like to get head.”

Moreau then yelled, “Who are you?” before hanging up the phone.

Since officers classified the Hilton hoax as a “suspicious incident,” the matter was not initially assigned to a detective for further investigation. However, the existence of a recording of the call (in addition to TSG’s identification of Malik as the perpetrator) today led cops to assign a detective to the case, according to Captain Ed Book, spokesman for the Gainesville Police Department. A copy of the Gainesville Police Department report on the Hilton incident can be found here. (2 pages)

Comments (12)

If this is all your going to do with your grey matter....why even BE here?
wow! perhaps this guy should focus his energies on getting out of his mothers apartment. she must be proud.
That makes this whole situation even funnier! Maybe he took the "I don't wanna grow up - I'm a Toys-R-Us kid" commercials to heart.
I frequented the room a total about a week before my ban. Dex is a sociopath. He has no concern at all for his actions and I hope some sort of law enforcement seriously takes notice of him before it gets past the level of people breaking windows to people actually getting hurt.
I will be quite honest with you guys, I was one of those curious listeners who frequented the pranknet chat room on beyluxe messenger for a few weeks, however it became quite apparent that these people are quite sick in the head. During last nights show Malik did his regular routine of calling random hotels and asking for rooms well he did this again yesterday, but this time he called an individual with mental retardation. As Dex became aware of the mans disability he started tormenting the guy saying vulgar things to his father on the other line of "molesting this individual" and making sexual advances towards him. I felt that this was very mean spirited, I confronted Dex about this in the chat room only to get banned. I don't really care about the ban because after last nights prank I am done with the group.
Thanks for the post,The caller was actually Tariq Malik, the 26-year-old Pranknet founder who lives with his mother in a Windsor, Ontario apartment.I like it. logo design landing page design
Oh, and dam for such a pretty girl she has a trashy mouth, lol... But I will contribute that to her probably being woke out of a dead sleep and being freaked out, lol, hey and I bet she dose what he said she does not do "Very well"
Have to say this guy is a real loser, OMG still living at home with his Mommy huh, how pathetic. Have to agree with the dumb blonde theory also though, she is a reporter and should be a little smarter than that...
The guy's a loser, but I have to admit, I got a pretty good laugh outta this. Points for creativity.
Pathetic. It's a safe bet that screwing with this woman is the closest this wall-eyed social misfit will ever get to actually screwing. (Sorry, Malik, your mother and blow-up dolls don't count.)
Just more evidence confirming the dumb blonde theory.
This guy is in a serious state of arrested development...living at home at 26...still making prank calls...does his mommy know about this?