--------------------------------------------------------[ May 22, 1990 ]-------
Pranks, Revenge, and General Mayhem     Another "no stupid group" Phile
______    ________    __________
\     \  /  \     \  /    |     |       (C) 1990 The Fixer
 \     \/    \     \/     |     |
  \          /\          /|     |       This Volume: More Phone Pranks
   \        /  \        / |     |
   /        \   \      /  |     |       THC....................+1 604 598-4259
  /          \   \    /   |     |       Dark Side of the Moon..+1 408 245-7726
 /     /\     \   \  /    |     |       Centre of Eternity.....+1 615 552-5747
/_____/  \_____\   \/     |_____|       The Convent............+1 619 475-6187
_______________________________________________________________________________

Preface: On May 9th, 1990, one of my users (of THC-BBS) called the Ripco BBS
         in Chicago, only to hear this voice message:

         "This is 528-5020.

          As you are probably aware, on May 8th, the Secret Service
          conducted a series of raids across the country.  Early news
          reports indicate that these raids involved people and
          computers that could be connected to credit card and long
          distance toll fraud. Although no arrests or charges were made,
          the Ripco BBS was confiscated on that morning.  Its
          involvement at this time is unknown.  Since it's unlikely the
          system will ever return, I'd just like to say goodbye and
          thanks for your support for the last six and a half years.
          It's been interesting to say the least.  Talk to you later."

          On behalf of THC, I would like to applaud Dr. Ripco on his
          running Ripco for 6.5 years, and express the condolences of
          myself and THC's users at the loss of Ripco's hardware.  It's
          been interesting, to say the least.

          The Fixer, May, 1990

DOWN TO BUSINESS: Fucking over your best friends, worst enemies, and
                  k00lest d00dz with their telephones.

Answering Machines
------------------

        There are several methods of ruining your friends' lives via their
        answering machines.  You can fill their incoming message tapes
        with bogus messages, you can turn them on/off remotely and
        hear/erase all the messages, and in some beauties, you can
        change the outgoing message.  The latter is the most devastating
        of all answering machine methods, and it will get the most space
        here.

- Most answering machines today have "beeperless remote" features, even
  in the bargain-basement models.  Normally they are protected by a
  security code of between 1 and 3 digits, and quite often even the
  3-digit ones are so easily cracked it's disgusting. Once "inside" an
  answering machine, you can do a number of things.  Always, you will be
  able to hear, and later erase, any incoming messages.  This is helpful
  to the prankster in that it lets him intercept his target's important
  messages, indicating the target's future whereabouts for later
  attacks.  It also, of course, can be used to prevent the target from
  receiving important messages, with possible dire consequences to the
  target's social/work life.

- Another interesting feature of many answering machines is the ability
  to change the outgoing message.  When I bought my own unit, the last
  thing I asked the salesman was, "Can you change the outgoing message
  from remote?" As soon as he said "No" I bought it.  That's how you
  should shop for answering machines too, as is about to become clear...

  A few messages to replace a target's answering message with:

  Blackmail messages:

  "Hi, you have reached Wayne's House of Drugs.  Currently we have Home
   Boge, Mexican redhair, Black hash from California, crack and Ice in
   stock.  Please leave your name, phone number, and the amount and kind
   of poison you need and I'll get back to you.  Thanks and Party Hardy!
   BEEEEEEP"

  "This is The Installer's Codeline.  Here are this weeks codes: 604 385
   9682 0194.  604 477 9980 6682.  604 727 4432 8282.   These are all BC
   Tel Calling Cards.  Please leave your codes at the tone. BEEEEEEEEP"

  A slightly less malignant blackmail message:

  "Hi, this is the Silva Residence.  No one can come to the phone right
   now since we're having our nightly session of hot steamy gay family
   orgy fun. As soon as we get out of the shower, we'll call you back.
   See ya later, you hunk of man-meat you!   BEEEEEEEP"

  For a machine in a doctor's office:

  "You have reached Dr. Jones' office.  We are sorry, but this office is
   closed due to a pending malpractice suit.  Thank you for calling.
   BEEEEEEP"

  For a known police informer (to wit: a NARC):

  "This is the Sidney RCMP.  There is no-one in the station to take your call
   right now.  If this is an emergency, officers are available at the
   Sidney Donut Shoppe, at 656-4983.   BEEEEEEEEP" (The above blackmail
   messages also work well for narcs)

  Universally useful:

  "This answering machine accepts all collect calls. (10 second pause
   while operator does her thing) Here are this weeks codes: (etc etc
   etc)"

  Here's something I have never tried, tell me if it works for you:

  Send your mark's machine several seconds of 2600 Hz and the
  appropriate MF coding for a nice faraway lame BBS or something, as the
  outgoing message. Then advertise (anonymously) on some other faraway
  BBSes the existence of a new BBS with no download ratios, 25,000
  files, etc etc etc.  What happens is that when someone calls LD (and
  they will), the answering machine will start blue boxing.  The phone
  company will not be pleased.

  I'm sure you can think of a lot more.

- Here are a few hints and pointers:  My ex-roomie, a consummate
  dick-head worthy of everything he has gotten in the process of beta
  testing these pranks (as a matter of trivia, he's the Wayne in Wayne's
  House of Drugs) has a nice Cobra answering machine.  Well, not only
  did he pay 3 times for his machine as much as I paid for mine, but his
  has only a wimpy one-digit code (it's 5) and lets you change the
  outgoing message from remote.  Other answering machines have a 2 or 3
  digit combination but actually accept ANY digit on the row or column
  of the "actual" code number, thus bringing the number of possible
  codes down to near-zero. Still other machines have stupid codes like
  123, 369, etc (some of those are the previous kind).  Almost all
  answering machine codes are hardcoded; I have seen dip-switches and
  PC-mounted rotary switches allowing owners to change their codes at
  will, but these beauties are rare, fortunately.  The best thing you
  can do is acquire a library of users manuals for various machines to
  learn their code conventions and instruction sets.  This can be
  readily accomplished by hanging out in department stores etc that sell
  the things.

There is no Canadian Law explicitly dealing with answering-machine
tampering, but all of these pranks can lead to your being charged with
common mischief at the least.  Caveat Trickstor.

Linemans' Handset Methods
-------------------------

        Please don't refer to a homebuilt lineman's handset as a "bud
        box", "brown box", "beige box", "tan box", "modu box", "terminal
        box", or anything else so lame.  There is no technical wizardry
        in ripping the mod plug off your phone and replacing it with
        'gator clips. If you can get a real handset, do so because they
        are specially ballasted to allow near-silent line interception
        whereas modified Flip-fone ]['s will always generate a nice
        clunk on the line when you attach, and often will even tinkle
        the bell on phones in your target's house.

        Using a handset to do nothing but place phree phone kawlz is
        lame; the true misanthrope phreak knows the true power of his
        tool.

- Custom calling!  It's been said that the only person you can't prank
  is someone who lives in a cave as a hermit.  And it's true in
  phoneland too, the more services your target subscribes to, the easier
  it is to have phun with his miserable little life.  Take call
  forwarding.  If your mark has this most useful of services, you've got
  it made.  Goto your target's phone terminal box-ette on the side of
  his house one fine sunday morning (revenge on the Lord's Day is no
  sacrilege to an anarchist) at 4:30, clip on your awesome modu-box, and
  try a few of these little gems:

        :Forward all his calls to 911, the police or Fire Dep't.
         Guaranteed results at the very first incoming call.

        :Forward calls to Dial-A-Prayer, Dial-A-Meditation (we have a
         great Sri Chinmoy recording in Victoria, BC, at 604-595-2721).
         I used to do this with my own line sometimes, it really fucks
         incoming callers minds up.

        :Forward calls to yourself.  Risky, but if your mark doesn't
         have an answering machine you can use your own machine to use
         the above-mentioned Answering Machine methods.

        :Forward calls long-distance.  In 604, calls that are forwarded
         long-distance are paid for by the forwarding party, i.e. your
         target.  It should work the same in many other area codes too,
         call your local telco customer service rep to find out.  This
         can have horrible implications...

        :...if you forward those calls to a BBS, or better still a
         code-line and advertise your mark's number as the "new local
         node for the MegaLeech AE".

        :Forwarding to a 1-900 or 1-976 dial-it service works well too.
         Since most of these are voice-only, it is very easy to program
         a large number of people to start calling your mark on short
         notice, and the target gets stuck with the bill.

        :Forwarding to your phone comany's local security office is a
         sign of true arrogance on your part, as everyone gets hosed. Do
         it sometime.

        :Forward calls to a number that is not in service.  Effect is
         self explanatory.

        :Set your own (or another target's) call forwarding to forward
         to your primary target.  Then have the target's forwarding set
         to your own number (or the secondary target).  Can you say
         endless forwarding loop?  Be warned that some phoneco's have
         gotten wind of this concept and installed anti-loop safeguards.

        :Forward calls to just about anything offensive and
         blackmailable, gay sex lines, the Nazi Party, the KKK, the
         Jehovah's Witnesses, need I get graphic?

        :Forward to voice-mail systems.  These are great as most will
         record MF tones so the abovementioned
         blue-boxing-answering-machine trick will work, in a roundabout
         way, via forwarding.  They also let you wash your hands clean
         of any answering-machine/forwarding combos you pull.

Electrical Fun
--------------

        As any phone freak worthy of his k-bud box knows, telephones
        require certain specific voltage levels in order to operate.
        Run them too far below these voltages, and they crap out and
        die.  Run them too high, and they blow up and melt.

- An old trick, but it has been such a great standby for tricksters, no
  phone tricks file is complete without it:  Drive to your target's
  residence (4:30 AM on a sunday is definitely the best time for this).
  Have an accomplice keep the motor running and the car door open.  Head
  on up to that trusty little grey box on the side of Mr. Victim's
  house, and attach the 'gator clip ends of your "suicide plug" to the
  phone terminals.  Now, I sure hope you brought a LONG suicide plug
  because it is likely that the only outside 120VAC outlet on the house
  is on the other side.  Murphy's law applies to revenge just as in any
  other walk of life so be prepared.  Now, when you plug that suicide
  plug into Mr. Outside Outlet on Mr. Victim's house, the effect will be
  immediate and striking: Every phone in the house will ring loudly and
  violently.  Older mechanical phones might survive having 110 VAC
  running through them continuously for several minutes, but electronic
  phones and especially MODEMS will be destroyed.  You run the risk of
  being charged with arson if you are caught, so don't be.  RUN, don't
  walk, to your waiting getaway vehicle and HAUL ASS OUTA THERE before
  someone comes to the window and gets your licence plate.  If you don't
  mind paying a price for your assured freedom, placing a timer ($9.95
  at London Drugs for the cheapest light timers) on the suicide plug
  will give you a nice safe delay but you'll miss the fireworks...

- "The Scarlet Box" was a resistor, circa 6000 ohms, placed across the
   phone terminals.  It had the effect of putting a load on the line
   that caused horrible noise.  Another thing to do is try a capacitor
   instead, a nice non-polarised electrolytric can.  It does wonders to
   the lines bandwidth.

- How about this: Basic phone service carries its audio on a DC bias
  "carrier."  Transformers and capacitors don't like DC but they pass AC
  just fine.  So, put a cap in series on the line.  Phone rings, yes,
  because ringing voltage is AC.  Phone give dial tone?  Noooooo....
  Fixer stop talking in Taiwanese english now.

- If your mark's phone terminal box is adjacent to several others, or
  shares a box with others, then start connecting them together in
  parallel. Make sure you match rings with rings, tips with tips.  Many
  interesting effects.  Krazy Glue the boxes shut when you're done to
  "save your changes" permanently.

Well, that's it.  This file is probably 100% illegal and banned by law,
but damned if I'm not going to exercise my right to copyright it.  This
file is not in the public domain.  Sysops of other BBSes are licensed to
distribute it free of charge on the sole condition that it is
distributed in its entirety and with all bylines and copyrights intact,
and with no text added. I've been in the IBM world too long, you can
probably tell, but it roast my butt what some lamers are doing to decent
text files these days.

(C) 1990 The Fixer.

