mjd
Veteran
I apologize for using the word prankster. I am very much like you in that regard. I have never understood the point in hurting people in that way. I am probably the only person that didn't love "America's Funniest Videos". I couldn't stand to watch people fall or trip or anything that caused pain. I always wondered "Who the heck is recording that and laughing about it?"Most of the guys I worked with (pre computer days) were hunt-and-peck typists.
There used to be an old slightly-inappropriate joke: "You type like the old widow woman, a hunt-n-pecker (a-huntin' pecker)!"
I would disagree, though, with being a prankster. I detest pranks, for the most part, as they're always meant to make someone look stupid, guised as a "joke." I don't find them funny at all.
Any time I ever pranked anyone, it was to get back at (and be just serious enough to stop) another prankster. The letter-switching, for example, was done right before performance feedback time, to a fellow office admin who enjoyed doing things like breaking into your car during the day, pulling the plug wires, leaving you stranded...until the next day. A few typos on a letter might not seem a big deal, but when that's your main job, a bunch of mistakes on correspondence from the squadron commander can be damning.
And, in the positions you described, I would want to get back at someone also. I'm a bit too forgiving though so I've rarely done it.