Real or Fake? YouTube Prankster Detained in Viral 'Wiretapping the Government' Prank Video

A new video from YouTube prankster Roman Atwood allegedly involves an ill-advised attempt to "wiretap" a vehicle belonging to government "officers." But be advised: many viewers are suggesting the prank was staged with actors.

In the video, Atwood can be seen planting the "wire tap" on a black vehicle supposedly belonging to the government officials. Men in black suits and ties immediately surround him and order him to "drop the weapon."

(YouTube)

"What the f**k is this?" one of the so-called agents says in the video. "You think you can just do whatever you want and record us?"

The men dressed in suits then demand to know where Atwood had set up the camera that accompanied the audio recording equipment.

"You have no rights right now, where is your goddamn camera?" a man barks at Atwood.

Here's how Atwood explains the timely prank in the video's description:

So it turns out the government can wire tap us, but we cant wire tap them!

Do not attempt to do this. The officers checked our background, then made us delete the footage from the memory card in exchange for us to walk away with a warning. They did not know my camera also has an internal hard drive for backup, so we never lost the footage!

Clearly the prank was inspired by recent revelations about the federal government's wide-reaching surveillance programs.

Now watch the video (which already had more than 150,000 views in less than 24 hours):

Still, some viewers are skeptical -- and that skepticism seems warranted. They point out that the prankster wouldn't have gotten out of the situation unscathed. Others argue real federal agents would have drawn their firearms  if they thought Atwood had a weapon or was a threat. There's also the fact that the "agents" are dressed stereotypically, and the question of how Atwood would have known they were government employees in the first place is a big one.

Keep in mind, Atwood is a prankster after all. Perhaps the Internet will be the victim of his latest gag.

TheBlaze has reached out to Atwood regarding the authenticity of the video but did not receive an immediate response.

What do you think: Real or fake?

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