Phreaking in the Midwest

by deth6 of the Bullz On Parade

I have read countless articles on phreaking and have found that many are outdated and/or apply to specific areas of the country like the east and west coasts and the north and southwest.  However, I have failed to find much information on phreaking in the Midwest, where there are definitely tons of phreakers or wanna-be's.  So here is a tutorial on phreaking in that area, specifically Illinois.  All the techniques described here forth also apply to most parts of Missouri, Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin, and Indiana, and I assume Michigan as well, although I'm not sure.

Unlike the boxes in the east which are opened with 7/16" Allen wrenches, Illinois simply uses a 7/16" bolt to close its boxes.  These boxes abound everywhere, especially in areas with underground lines like new subdivisions or isolated farm roads.  They are pale green and come in assorted sizes, usually about three feet tall.  They will usually say either "Illinois Bell" or "Ameritech" or something like that on them, and almost always have one of those "Call Julie Before You Dig" signs.  There are two types of boxes, the green ones described above, and the huge five foot silver ones.

Once you have the damn thing open, you can see all the phone lines of the area lined up for you in myriads of screws, many of which are just unused lines that show up on Caller ID as "Illinois Bell Telecom" and can be used to get free phone calls with a Beige Box.  Don't bother stripping wires, just hook-up directly to the screws.

Now go ahead, hook-up whatever boxes you may have and go at it!  A great example is the Beige Box, as you can listen in on other people's conversations and gain great knowledge for social engineering or learn great secrets about people.  Another favorite trick of mine is to get an FM transmitter kit and hook it up with alligator clips to a line in the box.  Then, close-up the box and wait down the street in the safety of your car and tune in your radio to the frequency of the transmitter.  These transmitters can be acquired from electronics companies like Marlin P. Jones and Associates through mail order.  Call 800-652-6733 for a catalog.

Don't forget to watch out for cops and other assorted pork products as well as the phone company linemen and trucks.  These are not good for your health.