Sons prank father with giant birthday billboards, greetings from around the world

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — A man in New Jersey has received more than 15,000 messages and calls wishing him a happy birthday! All the well-wishes started flooding in after his sons put together an elaborate prank.

Chris Ferry's birthday isn't until March 16, but the Linwood man is already receiving well-wishes coming from strange numbers. "Saying 'Happy Birthday.' I said, 'Who's this?' He said, 'Nick.' 'Nick who? You don't know me. How do you know it's my birthday?' 'I saw it on a billboard,'" Ferry told WCBS.

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Ferry's face and phone number are listed on a giant billboard on the Black Horse Pike into Atlantic City toward the casinos. The billboard asks travelers to "wish my dad happy birthday" and includes Ferry's phone number. Many people did and now pictures of the billboard have gone viral.

"I'm getting things like, 'My father's birthday was the 16th. He passed four years, so I'm contacting you in memory of him,'" said Ferry.

Ferry's two sons, Chris and Mike Ferry, who live in Florida, paid for the billboard. It's a continuation of a childhood prank they would play on their dad at restaurants. "They would always tell the waiter or waitresses that it's my birthday, even though it wasn't," said Ferry.

The billboard will stayed up through April 6.

Ferry then paid to put up a billboard of his own, thanking all the callers for their well-wishes.

CNN/WCBS