// Practical Phreaking III: Calling Cards // Contents: Use, Purchase, History, and Theory // // by The Goatroper // // http://www.oldskoolphreak.com 12/03/03 --------------- I. Introduction Welcome to the THIRD installment of Practical Phreaking - I'll be your host, the Goatroper. This issue won't be as long as the last two, but it's a lot more specific. This issue deals with something that was covered in the LAST issue, but I got a lot of questions about it, and a few of them were simply disturbing. The "something", of course, is CALLING CARDS! A very, very basic and essential part of a phreak's toolkit and/or notebook. In P.P. III I'll go into the history, use, theory, and methods used for calling card calling. ----------- II. History The history of calling cards is one that belongs mostly to you European readers. The modern "phone card" was invented in 1975, in Europe, by a small company that was in the business of VENDING MACHINES. The first calling card showed up in the United States about eleven years later, in 1986. The first calling cards were printed and issued in Italy to stop a rash of payphone vandalism and theft which had reached endemic proportions. These protocards were made for use in specially designed phones, and had a magnetic strip on the back. The first generation of these cards had many problems, and often jammed due to their extreme thinness. After the problems were "fixed", the magnetic cards spread to most of Europe. In 1987 the first large-scale card was launched by World Telecom Group. The card was also magstripe. Two years later, AT&T started its own line of cards, which first appears in Hawaii as a "Remote Telecommunications Prepaid Calling Card". The first non-magnetic card was offered by New York's Regional Bell Operating Company. These were the first cards that used a PIN and used a toll-free dial through number. 2001 marked the first disposable cellphone/calling card combination devices. ---------- III. Theory The theory behind calling cards is really very simple. When you buy the card, you'll probably notice that they scan the card. This is "activating" the card. They're telling the calling card company that this card has been paid for, and that the minutes on the card should be turned on. The actual minutes left on the card are stored in a database at the calling card company. When you call the 1-800 number, it's routed through their systems to subtract the minutes from the total left on the card. ---------------------------- IV. Using the Damned Things Alright - this is how calling cards work... When you go buy a calling card at a gas station, convenience store, whatever... When you go buy this card, and you decide you want to use it, it generaly goes something like this: 1) Dial the 1-800 or international number printed on the back of the card. 2) Listen to the automated menu at the number. 3) This is usualy when you enter your PIN (which is printed on the card). It will probably give you a "Minutes left" message, and then prompt you to dial your number. 4) Dial the number, area code first, and start talking! ------------------------ V. Buying a Calling Card I was horrified by the number of people asking about buying calling cards online... WITH CREDIT CARDS!!! I cannot stress HOW BAD OF AN IDEA THIS IS!!!! The idea of calling cards is ANONYMOUS CALLING, but when you link a real, trackable piece of IDENTIFICATION to a calling card, all aspects of anonymyty ARE COMPLETELY DISSOLVED! The BEST and ONLY way to buy an ANONYMOUS CALLING CARD is to buy it with CASH. When you buy with cash, there is no electronic or paper trail, other than "XXXXX card was bought at X:XX PM at store number XXXX". You may want to get a "rechargeable" calling card. Some of those have better prices per minute than the single-use ones, and you usualy don't get raped as badly with connection charges, handling charges, maintenance fees, and most importantly, the expiration dates are often much more generous. Yes, expiration fees. Always check the expiration date. A lot of times, it's only 60 days from the date of activation! I have 15 or 20 expired calling cards rubber banded together and wasting away in my underwear drawer - about $200 in wasted cash. ---------------- VI. So what now? There are guidelines for "good" calling cards in Practical Phreaking II, so I won't bother to outline it again here. As was mentioned before, this was a short issue, more of a supplement than a brand new P.P. Thanks again to dual and the OSP crew, and you may have noticed a thanks to "LatterBrisk" in the last issue. I would like to remove my foot from my mouth and extend thanks to Brisk Attivo instead. Please, call me a dummy and don't listen to anything I say. Contact me on AIM: ElGoatRoper MSN: barrengod@punkass.com EMail: leonidbrezhnev@bonbon.net And remember to check out THE PHREAKLIST! New entries are tricklnig in, once or twice a month, but Kuroishi has been contacted by 4 or 5 phreaks... which means a lot of folks are going,reading, using... and NOT POSTING! What? Why? Huh? Things don't work if you guys don't sign... Just click the "Click here to tag the Phreaklist" link, and post away!