An April Fool went wrong this morning when the victim contacted Essex Police to report their car had been stolen.
Just before 11am today, Essex Police were notified of a potential car theft and started completing their checks and circulated details to officers to search for the vehicle.
Shortly after they were informed it was a prank and the car had not been stolen.
Essex Police are asking to think before making a prank call, and consider just how serious they can be.
A spokesperson for Essex Police said: "Each year, April Fool’s Day will always see pranks being played between friends, families and colleagues.
"We would ask that people are mindful of the pranks that they play, so fake 'crimes' are not reported to us.
This takes up valuable time and resources, which can be spent elsewhere, by catching criminals, protecting and serving the county and helping those who really need us."
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