-------------------------------------- Phreaking '87: The Real BEEF -------------------------------------- An official LSD Publication By The Illegal McBeagle.... /------------------------------------\ : The Elite Skull........201-379-1459: : Middle Earth...........515-224-6557: : Mickey Mouse...........918-241-2844: \------------------------------------/ Phreaking: The use of a telephone company to evade the toll charges involved with a long distance call. My strongest opinion about phreaking is that it has been going on for FAR too long. The companys that we are dealing with are simply not going to tolerate it much longer. But I have had this view for about four years now, and things have remained the same- Hardly anyone gets busted... This article will deal with factual information about phreaking in 1987. I have conducted experiments involving the supposed 'trace detect' numbers, and I have spoke with a public relations manager at Sprint. For a different point a view, I contacted a lawyer that was familiar with phreaking as it pertains to us; The Phreaks. Part I: The Rumors I have heard two very different and distinct rumors about phreaking. By this I mean that it seems there are two different point of views when it comes to tracing and phreaking. One states that there is simply no way to trace, and that even if you were traced the evidence could not be used against you. The other one is that you can be traced, and it is just a matter of luck that you havent been busted yet. This is the space age. I assure you that tracing IS possible. If you have any doubt, just call up the CIA or FBI # listed in one of the many 'hacker phone list' g-files and harrass whoever answers a few times with death threats. I like to assume that I am being traced every time I call out. By doing this I am more aware of the number of calls I make and how long I stay on. If I was to be busted, maybe the bill would not be as high... The next question that arises is ' But do all companys trace?', and 'Are there any SAFE companys left?' Part II: My Expirement! I am sure that all of you have seen, at one time or another, a number posted on a BBs that supposedly checks to see if your code is being traced. Up until recently, I was sure that these numbers were for telephone repairmen to check your lines for clarity and frequency range. But recently I ran across one (it still has the oscillating tone) that acts differenty depending on how I called it. [ The Results ] 2mins for each test #:817-460-1895 (Trace Test) 1st Company: AT&T (direct call) R: The tone was clear and sharp, with no interruptions at all. 2nd Company: Sprint [950-0777] R: Erratic clicks and snaps while the oscillating tone went up & down. 3rd Company: Sprint [800-332-0777] R: Clear for one cycle (up-down), then an abrupt disconnect. 4th Company: (?) 800-638-1996 R: Much like that of AT&T's results, but the line quality was noticebly poorer. My analysis: It is obvious that AT&T would not have to enable a trace, as the AT&T Cosmos keeps track of all your outgoing calls for you. So if there was a way to detect a trace, it would register negative when tested through AT&T. Sprint is a huge company, they have the money to effectivly use tracing. The clicks I heard using 950-0777 might reflect this. But then 950's are rumored to use ANI anyway. The 800 Sprint disconnected me, which AT&T didnt, so I have a feeling that it was tracing. 800-638-1996, which is most likely a small company with no tracing equipment, gave me a steady tone. By the way, 1996 uses 6 digit codes. Assuming that 817-460-1895 is a trace detect, I would have to say that Sprint is indeed dangerous in that they trace. 800-638-1996 seems to be the safe route. Now, what if that oscillating tone included a 2600mz at the higher end? Telephone company equipment of Sprint might pick that up as a disconnect. That would account for the clicks and snaps, as they were similar to the sound of a trunk about to be seized. I myself will be staying away from Sprint, and using 800-638-1996 from now on. Poorer lines, but possibly safer. Part III: My discussions with Sprint On the phone I acted like a potential customer looking for the right LD company. I claimed that I had discontinued MCI becuase someone got a hold of my code and abused it. I was not charged with the calls, but it had scared me away from MCI. I asked her if this might happen on Sprint. She said that it was always possible, but not likely (that was just bullshit). I then told her that I did not think MCI even knew who abused my account, and asked her if they could find out who was illegally using codes on Sprint. She said yes, and that they had special investigative procedure to do so. [ Note: I believe that these procedures consist of calling every number dialed by the phreak in hopes of getting a voice #, and finding out just who called the person. When I ran LSD BBs, Sprint used to call me all the time wanting to know who had called me...] Part IV: The Next Step If Sprint/Mci/Metro are not tracing right now, I'm sure that they will some day soon. But all is not lost, there will always be a way to phreak. Nothing is perfect, and when there are imperfections in the phone company, phreaks will find a way to abuse them. Right now there are several new companys (look in the Rolling Stones classifieds) that offer unlimited long distance calls for a flat rate of $100 a month (no, not PC Pursuit- which is a decent alternative to phreaking). If someone could get a hold of a code on one of these systems, you could phreak all you want without fear of being busted. These companys simply want to get that flat $100, and thats all. But I would imagine the line quality is horrible. I dont have a # for one of these services, but when I get one I will post it on the boards mentioned above. Part V: Calls in excess There are businesses out there that rely on long distance calls to bring in the bucks. They might place 30,000 calls in one week. If they phreak, they have cut out 80% of expenses. Compared to those agencies, we are very small time... I doubt I have ever put more then $2,000 on one code. Those companys could put $50,000 on one before the code is even cancelled. I would imagine Sprint and the others are worried with the big-time phreaks, and not so much us. Besides, it seems that when a small-time-phreak is busted, three or four others go down with him. They are probably using them to set an example. I would try to cut down on the amount of calls you make; Narrow the number of boards you call to just the important ones... It is dangerous to think of phreaking as something to do when you are bored... Part VI: Conclusion Phreaking in '87 is more dangerous than it was in '86. The same goes with any crime that you commit. I talked with a lawyer, and he said that when you are caught phreaking you simply have no rights. They know you did it, and they can prove it. The tedious part is figuring up how much you owe them- and they frequently make you pay for the time spent figuring your bill. My advice to those that are busted is to NEVER admit they you did it until you see positive proof. If they do have the 'goods' on you, slap a sad story on them and see about sending them a small payment every month.. (until you get back on your feet and can pay it all off at once, is a good line) You do not want to be dragged into court, or sued. Well, thats it. If I come across anymore information I will post it on the three boards listed above, or if enough comes my way I'll write another article. Until then, Stay cool and DONT get busted! [%] The Illegal McBeagle [%] \________[L][S][D]_________/ Post Script: This is the second release of this article. The first release brought a lot of critisism my way about the experiment I did. PLEASE realize that it was just an EXPERIMENT, and I really have no idea if Sprint traces or not. I just think that they do. 2nd release from Middle Earth 515-224-6557