+++ WWW.HACKERSALVAGE.NET +++ HackerSalvage.net is a non-profit website dedicated to keeping old hardware in circulation. Many of us have piles of it sitting around but can't just toss it out. Here you can post computer items for sale or post a want ad for items you are looking for. A perfect place to get rid of perfectly good junk.... and get some new stuff to rebuild the pile. +++ +++ --------------------------. Assaulting Payfones 1.o \ ----------------------------`-----------------------------------------------. ' ------------. * * * c/a 1o-17-oo : Disclaimah \ . --------------`-------------------------------------------------------------.' ' This material is presented for informational and entertainment purposes : only, and to satisfy the curious. Any activities described in this file . which involve vandalism, theft, or any other illegal activities are . recounted from third-party conversations. I do not condone or encourage vandalism or theft. I do not accept any liability for anything anyone . does with this information. So, don't shoot the messenger. Remember: Looking is one thing, but busting up payfones is ILLEGAL. . -------------------. Table of Contents \ ---------------------`------------------------------------------------------. ' : [ Removing the Cover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . line 32 ] . . [ Accessing the Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11o ] . [ Removing the Card Reader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157 ] . --------------------. Removing the Cover \ ----------------------`-----------------------------------------------------. ' This is so easy it's almost not worth going into, but people always ask. : I figured this out when I was about thirteen years old and I used a coat . hanger. I'll present the coat hanger method, as well as how to fabricate . a proper key. . = Method #1 = Take a coat hanger made from very stiff wire and unbend it. You don't . have to do a very nice job of it, you just need a stiff piece of wire to work with. I suggested a coat hanger because everybody has one, and also for nostalgic purposes. Bend the coat hanger and pull it across itself, right side in front of left, so it forms a little loop at the bottom of the bend. Pull it tight until the loop is about 8mm in diameter. Now form the ends sticking out into a handle of sorts. Be creative. Break off any excess wire by bending it back and forth with pliers. Done. The following diagram may help you, but probably not since it sucks to an extreme degree. This is sort of what it looks like anyway. wire crossed over and _____ ______ formed into a handle --> \/ /\ / \ / \ / \ *blink* ( ) \ / *blink* \ / \ / \/ little loop --> () = Method #2 = Making an actual key is pretty easy too. Get a small sheet of metal that is easy to work with and rigid enough to handle some torque. Now cut it according to the diagram below. Yeah, this is what shop class is for. Important dimensions are noted. _________ handle --> [___ ___] | | 5mm wide --> | | _| |_ 10mm wide x 5mm high --> |_____| = Doo-be-doo = Well, that is that. Someone could simply stick their homemade key into the hole that looks like this... _ ..., give it a twist, and pull the cover off. | | | | The little loop in the "Coat ( ) Hanger Method" is the part | | one would stick in the hole. |_| This works on Centurians and the slot is located on the top. Millenniums and Centurians both have this slot located on a small panel on the front of the payfone, in front of the coin box. I havn't been able to open them with the coat hanger method, just twists the hanger up. Perhaps with a strong fabricated key and a wide handle for lot's of torque. Or maybe you need to unlock the lock located on the side of the payfone first. These locks require a real key. Who knows. When you are finished nosing around, make sure to replace the cover and lock it back up. ---------------------. Accessing the Lines \ -----------------------`----------------------------------------------------. ' Again, this is easy stuff. Accessing a payfone's lines really depends on : the payfone and installation. Sometimes you will see the fone-line running . right out of the payfone and across the wall. With pillar-mounted payfones . there is usually a panel on the pole beneath the fone that can be easily opened with the appropriate tools. In payfone booths you will also find . panels that can be removed to reveal the line, above or beneath the fone. And of course, if you can see the wiring coming out of the top of the booth and going up to a pole, it can be accessed there. Regardless of the . installation, if you take a look you will see that a payfone's fone-line can almost always be accessed. Note: Many of the panels spoken of are fastened with "security screws." You know those odd shaped screw-driver heads that most people don't have. Here in Canada you can find sets of these odd-shaped bits at Princess Auto. Scour your local tool and automotive supply stores and you can probably find some. Warning: There are also high-voltage lines running into payfone booths to power the booth-light. When messing with electrical lines it is always wise to exercise extreme caution. Or better yet, don't mess with them at all. So, what can be done with a payfone's fone-line? Well, it is possible to beige box from at least some of them. Generally works on Paytel COCOTs, Millenniums, and probably other COCOTs. Just hook up to the red and green wires. (duh) If you don't know what a beige box is... well, it's just a regular fone-set with some alligator clips on the red and green wires that you can use to patch into a fone-line. Also known as a linemans handset. If you still don't get it just do a search for "beige box" on the web. It's one of the oldest boxes and the information is everywhere. Now, a payfone line has four wires in it. Red, green, black, and yellow. We know red and green (ring and tip respectively) are used for the voice communications, and can be exploited for beige boxing as mentioned above. The black and yellow wires are used to control the coin mechanism relays and solenoids. If you cut these wires no coins will be returned on calls that can not be completed. If the wires are reconnected, and the handset is lifted and put back down, the coins will be released. Neat-o. However, it sounds far cooler in theory than in practice. This is an old scam and your telco likely knows all about it. It is obviously illegal and doing this habitually will surely lead to your arrest. Oh, and as far as I know this only works on Centurians. --------------------------. Removing the Card Reader \ ----------------------------`-----------------------------------------------. ' And the Lord said, "let there be little yellow cardreaders upon : every fone so that the people may go out and harvest the bounty . wrought of the telcos..." -- XX . The method covered here applies to Millennium payfones. Now, you really . shouldn't be doing this. Millennium payfones cost several thousand bucks. If you are caught vandalizing one, the penalty will be quite heavy. Fone companies do not look kindly on people messing up their equipment. And . again, this is all third-hand information. Don't look at me. A payfone is usually a heavily armored unit with secure mountings and impenetrable housings to disuade peoples thoughts of emptying them of their silver booty. The Millennium payfone card readers, however, are a soft-spot indeed. Tools required: * Hammer * Big flat-head screwdriver * Knife * A desire to commit a criminal act Place the head of the screwdriver against the slit at the top edge of the card reader. Pound it in a few inches with the hammer. Apply downward force on the handle of the screwdriver until you create a large enough gap to fit the claw of the hammer in there. Insert the claw of the hammer into the gap with the hammerhead facing up. Yank hard on the hammer in an upward dir- ection using the front of the fone as a fulcrum under the head of the hammer. The yellow faceplate will come off, either with or without the card reader attached. If it's not still attached to the yellow part you can just reach into the hole and pull it out. Use the knife to slash the ribbon cable or just yank really hard until it disengages from either the reader or the mainboard in the payfone. At this point the payfone might be quietly going beedley-boop-beedley-boop and displaying some message on the screen about re-inserting your card or something. Not an alarm, just an error notification. It is not known if this causes the payfone to fone home for help. Probably not, since the error on the screen seems to indicate that the fone thinks there is simply something wrong with a card in its slot... which it no longer even has. Go figure. It has also been noticed that when missing card readers are replaced by the telco, reinforcements are often added to prevent them from being emancipated again. The card reader is an American Magnetics (www.magstripe.com) Model # 171. It has both a magstripe reader and a smartcard reader/writer. Exactly how . these card readers can be interfaced with a PC is a story for another day. Play safe. And if you ever happen to catch yourself vandalizing payfones, . call Crime-Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS... That's wun-aight-zee-row-zee-row- too-too-too-aight-phore-sebbin-sebbin. Jeah. . . ; ----------------------------------------------------------------------------' . ' . . ' ` ,;;%$$$%%%&;,. ' ( . , ) ,&$$$&$&$$L.`'"4%%&,. . . ` * , ) &$$&$&$&$$$$$$&;, `"&%%&,. . ( . . , &$&$&$$&$$$$$$$$$$$%, `"&%%%&. ( ( ' * ` %&$&$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&;, `"&%%%&. ` . `( . * ` *, ` ' ) $$&$&$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&, `"&%%%&. ( ` . ) )' `$$&$&$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&, `"&%%&. `( ( .* ` ` ) ' `$$&$&$&$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$%;, `"&%%&. ` . ( * ' . `$$$&$$$$$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&, `"&%%&. ` ` @ * ' `&$$&$&$$$$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&, `"&%%&. `( @ * * . `"$$$&$&$$$&$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&, `"&%%&. * . @ * `:$$$$$&$&$$&$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&, `"&%%&. ` @ * ) `"&$$$$$&$&$&$$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&, `"&%&. . @. `"&$$$$&$&$$&$$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&, `"&%&. `*`' `"%$&$$&$&$$$&$$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&, `"&&. '" _ `"&$$$$$&$&$$$&$&$$$$$$$$$$$$$$&, `"&.'/ : `"&$$$$$&$&$&$&$&$$$$$$$$$$$$&, `'. : `"&$$$$$$$&$&$&$$$$$$$$$$$$&, `\ `'"&$$$$$$&$&$$©$H$C$$$$$&; `'"&$$$$$$$$$&$$&$&$$ CRA$HING DOWN THE TELEC0M INDU$TRY ``'"&%$$$$$$%' ``\``: { one payfone @ a time } \_: