Call it a sign of the apocalypse.
An electronic message board on Auburn Street in Portland Maine had this message on it Wednesday morning.
Early morning commuters in Portland -- those who had their coffee anyway -- got a surprise warning as they made their way down Auburn Street.
An electronic message board that typically warns motorists about impending roadwork instead read: "Warning Zombies Ahead!"
The prank got a good guffaw from many who saw and heard about it, but not from city officials.
"These are deployed and used as a safety precaution. They're not a toy," said Portland spokeswoman Nicole Clegg. "We don't want people to be distracted. We take this kind of crime seriously."
Clegg said it's unclear how a prankster changed the message, but it's not the first time.
Earlier in the year, another variable message board was made to read "Sleeping Snorlax Ahead," an apparent reference to a character from the Pokemon cartoon. Another mentioned gnomes and another made disparaging, though not altogether inaccurate, remarks about the Boston Red Sox,
The machines are typically provided by contractors as part of the bid specifications and the devices have somewhat different technology. So it's not clear who changed the messages or how, Clegg said.
Tampering with the safety devices is a crime, a class D misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine, she said.
The Maine Department of Transportation has variable message boards but they are run from the agency's dispatch communications center and have never been hacked, said spokesman Ted Talbot. The only times they don't alert motorists to roadwork or traffic issues are when they are used as part of a public education campaign, such as the recent one to discourage texting and driving.
The sign was quickly changed by workers involved with the paving project on Auburn Street, to read: "Night work 8 pm-6 am. Expect delays" -- the original, safe, boring message.