
Vending Machines, Payphones, and Bill Changers
 
Ver 1.1 compiled by Mustard      28 / 04 / 01
 
1.0 – Introduction
2.0  -What’s new to ver 1.1 
3.0 - Debunking the myths
4.0 - How to get into Vending Machines
5.0 - How to scam Bill changers
6.0 - How to get into pay phones
7.0 - Easy way of stealing money from soda machines (Stuffing)
8.0 – More stuffing
9.0 – Credits 
 
 
1.0 – Introduction
 
After seeing the number of posts asking repeatedly the same question ‘How do I 
get into vending machines’ I finally noticed that somebody was replying with 
methods that made sense. So I got together all the good info about vending 
machines and set out compiling it all. This file contains the common sense ways 
of breaking into or gaining money/products from vending machines so if are 
hopping to find a way of getting into these machines as if by magic after doing 
some random thing to it then sorry. This file is simply here to stop all these 
annoying questions. As far as I know the methods in this file work although this 
may change over time.  Direct any comments to Mustard in the bad ideas forum (in 
the community section) at www.totse.com 
These files like I said previously are not of my doing I would never try to take 
credit away from someone else’s work deliberately. I have tried to remove 
useless info from the files but basically I have left them the way they came…
Spread this file freely and add to it as you see fit just give people credit for 
there work and post new additions at www.totse.com 
You can also contact me and find my new files at my BSS at 
www.fieldings43.freeserve.co.uk/DK.htm 
 
ENJOY…
 
Legal shit…
I do not in any way promote any illegal activity in this file all information 
provided here is purely for informational purposes. So if you get caught don’t 
come wining to me
 
2.0 -What’s new to ver 1.1
 
I have added some more info on stuffing ( 8.0 ) thanks out to nito721 at &TOTSE 
for this interesting and simple adaptation.
3.0 - Debunking the myths
 
Air-hardening clay: absolutely doesn't work. When you let it dry, you have an 
impression of the lock with the pins set at whatever distance the pressure you 
pressed with put them at. That doesn't mean those are the settings that open the 
lock. 
Salt water: pretty much every soda machine comes with a drain installed in the 
bottom of it in case the soda cans break open. Duh. The coin sensors are only 
5vdc, magnetic or optic, and encased in lexan... and that's only after you go 
through a black plastic coin mech with more holes in it than your front door 
after a drive-by. 
 
Strings attached to a coin: This never really worked after about 1960. There is 
something called a coin mech in every coin-op machine. This is the device that 
checks the coin for diameter, weight, thickness, and composition before allowing 
it to pass the switch that triggers whatever the machine does. A string attached 
to a coin would not allow it to travel at a sufficient speed to get past the 
cradle, let alone the three turnarounds. And if that wasn't enough, the end of 
the mech has a little lever which maintains only one-way movement. 
 
Laminated dollars: did work, don't anymore. (Or do they? Coming soon!) Every 
bill vaildator now has a flipper on the end of it that must be closed for a 
successful validation, meaning there can't be stuff attached to the end of the 
bill. Even if your lamination were going around the flipper area, once it's 
closed you couldn't pull the bill back out without tearing it in half on the 
closed flipper.
 
Scanned dollars: I have never, ever seen a fraud dollar in a validator, so 
you'll forgive me if I think anyone full of shit who says it works unless you 
know where some pre-micro conductor technology machines exist. (note: this only 
applies to US dollars, I don't know how these things work with other contries' 
money) You know those little threads in your money? They do give off a magnetic 
signature, and it's different for every denomination. Every bill validator since 
1991 has a magnetic scanner on it. It uses that, and three sets of optic 
scanners, to determine the length, width, thickness, density, magnetic 
signature, and least of all markings on every bill it validates. So not only 
does a scanned dollar not have the proper magnetic signature, it doesn't have 
the right thickness or density... unless you printed it on fiber-paper and sewed 
one of those little threads into it at precisely the right point.
 
If you want to rip off machines, keep reading... I'll try and let you know how 
not to waste your time.
 
4.0 - How to get into Vending Machines
 
Alright, I'm sick of reading all this crap on how to try and rip off vending 
machines when none of it works. Clay? Salt water? Gimme a fucking break. Keep 
reading to hear how to get into vending machines from someone who has worked 
with them for the last ten years, and still does.
 
Some warnings.
 
1- With electronics being so cheap these days, most people videotape their 
vending locations. Scope out the place first, look for cameras. At any rate, 
it's not good to look like you when you go raid the machines.
 
2- Almost all vending machines now have alarms and tilt switches installed on 
them. Candy machines have shock sensors on the front glass. All machines have 
plumb bobs on them. If at all possible, unplug the machine first to avoid 
tripping the anti-vandalism measures.
 
3- There was another warning I had all thought up, but now I can't remember it. 
I'll think of it later. 
 
Okay, standard vending machines include soda machines, candy machines, cigarette 
machines and other upright product dispensing devices. I'll write a separate 
file for video games, bill changers and payphones later. 
 
There are basically only two ways to get into vending machines without a key. 
Through the lock, or directly. 
 
LOCKS
 
You can always try and pick the lock, using the standard method. The only 
problem with that is that there are usually at least eight settings, so you have 
to pick it three or four times to get the cylinder to travel enough to open the 
lock. That can be entirely too time consuming and generally not worth it. So, 
here are some better methods for opening a lock without picking it. It can be 
very easy to get into tubular locks or very hard, depending on how cheap the 
lock is. 
 
Gematic-type: cheap as hell locks. Their main weakness is that the cam (small 
piece of metal on the back of the lock designed to hold the cylinder in place) 
is held on by a single, small, weak-threaded screw. Most of the time the cam is 
also only an aluminum alloy. To defeat this type of lock, you can use a tubular 
key. File it down so that only the pin that sticks up from the cylinder is left 
and when inserted into a lock it rotates freely, but you can't pull it out. 
Attach a chain to the key, then wrap the chain around a bar of some sort. Yank 
hard. Voila! Cam either comes completely off or is bent to hell, open sesame. 
 
Ace-type: somewhat more expensive, better secure. The cam is held on by a nut 
over a larger bolt-type end. This makes it mainly pull-proof. However, the lock 
is only coated in carbon steel. Beneath that millimeter thin layer of hard metal 
there is only a nickel alloy. Insert a small drill bit into the cross section 
where the key slot meets the circular opening and go at it. After you get past 
the hard metal, the rest will give like soft cheese. Keep drilling until either 
the cylinder falls out, or you drill right through the lock and through the bolt 
in the end of the lock. It only takes me about five minutes to do this with a 
hammer drill. 
 
American-type: you can tell these locks from the others by the fact that the 
face is completely flush. Instead of a tubular cylinder, these locks rely on a 
set of pins on the key, mounted at irregular depths. The face is drill-proof. 
These things are the Fort Knox of locks, if you see one you're pretty much 
fucked trying to open it without a key. So, on to the next method!
 
DIRECT
 
Let's not kid ourselves here. We're not trying to get into these things for the 
aesthetic value of the job. We want the stuff inside. C'mon, you want to try to 
dump salt water into these things, thinking it will completely ruin the machine 
and only work part of the time? I'm guessing we're not all that concerned with 
the well-being of the machine in question. Face it, this is a grab-and-go job. 
So fuck the lock, let's just get in. 
 
Almost every single vending machine has the T-bar locking system. This means 
there's a steel bar traveling the length of the machine, securing the door at 
the top, bottom and side directly next to the lock, opposite the hinge.
 
This is a pretty good system. It doesn't work against someone determined to get 
in. Why? Because the point where the locking bar intersects with the machine's 
walls may be steel, but it's only about a quarter inch thick. 
 
Bring a prybar and a hammer. Unplug the machine. Climb on top of it. Track where 
the locking bar intersects with the roof by going in a line straight up from the 
lock. Insert the prybar (you might have to hammer it down in) about an inch to 
the side of that position, toward the hinge. Pry the sucker open. Once you've 
got the top open, you can see where the locking bar goes into the side, pry that 
open too. From there you can yank the door open and grab anything you want.
 
A successful break-in to a vending machine should take less than three minutes. 
Doing it this way also doesn't damage the machine enough to make it unusable. In 
fact, it takes less than five minutes of welding to fix, thus the vending 
company loses very little... some product and a couple hundred dollars is chump 
change compared to the $7000 it costs for the machine. If you don't trash the 
machine, there's less of a chance the company will follow up on busting you for 
breaking into it. 
 
There, I hope you're happy.
 
5.0 - How to scam Bill changers
 
 
When I say bill changer, I mean a machine whose single purpose is to take bills 
and render them into change ... nothing more.
Bill changers are the God of all vending machine thefts. Not only will they have 
the bills in them that they've already changed, but the coins left to change 
many more. The lowest dollar amount I've seen in a bill changer is $400, and 
that was a very small one. Most of the time this number remains static for 
accounting purposes, so you'll always end up with an even dollar amount if you 
get it all. 
 
The problem is, as a lot of vending machines already have dollar bill acceptors 
included in them, bill changers will usually only be found in an area with a 
large amount of machines... which means higher security, more traffic, i.e. 
harder to steal. If you find one out on its own, you just won the lottery. 
 
The easiest way to classify bill changers for thievery is by size. Here's why; 
bill changers are damn near impossible to open without a key. You'd need hours 
to take out the lock, pry the door, or cut a hole in them. Yet, they're not 
impossible to steal from. 
 
There's a reason most vending machines accept their own bills. To make a bill 
changer convenient, it has to be as small as possible, to admit more machines 
that actually make money. This is utterly moronic. The smaller something is, the 
easier it is to steal. 
 
If you see a small bill changer attached to the side of a vending machine, it's 
usually only held on by a couple of small bolts. If you see it freestanding, the 
lower half of it is usually nothing but a stand made of sheet metal. 
 
When you get a chance, take your trusty prybar and pry the sucker off the side 
of the machine. It'll come right off too, because neither of the sides of the 
machines are really designed to hold that much pressure... and bolts that thin 
aren't usually very strong. If it's attached to the floor, I'm willing to bet 
the metal making up the stand of the changer isn't as strong as the prybar.
 
Detach it and take the whole fucking thing... then you can open it at your 
leisure. Very, very few vendors actually take the time to properly secure their 
bill changers. Be careful though, those things are incredibly heavy. 
 
Bill changers also come in a big size, usually about four feet tall. These you 
can mainly forget about. Even if you got in somehow... they usually have a 
mechanical alarm in them using a can of compressed air and an air horn. If you 
break in, you're fucked anyway, even if the thing's unplugged. Good luck trying 
to move them too. 
 
However, there is one thing you can do. Sharply pop the lock bar with the heel 
of your hand. Sometimes it will pop open, because the dumbass operator didn't 
push it in all the way. 
 
Enjoy! 
 
 
6.0 - How to get into pay phones
 
Okay, so you want to break into a payphone. They're tough nuts, I'll give them 
that. Hardened steel alloy all around. Take a sledgehammer to one, you still 
won't crack the case. So, all you have to do is attack the weakest point. It 
isn't that hard really. You just have to get past that little trick the 
manufacturer played on you. 
That little keyhole in the front of the cash box? That isn't the lock. It opens 
the box, but the real lock is on the side of the phone. There are two; one opens 
the front face of the phone for service, the other unlocks the cash box. The 
bottom lock on the side holds the crossbar behind the cash box in place, keeping 
it from moving unless that lock is opened first.
 
It's a double-sided lock usually, or cylinder lock. Pick, drill, pull.. open 
that lock first. Picking is usually the most effective, it allows you to keep 
the lock mainly intact so that you can turn the locking bar. Then, you can turn 
the crossbar inside the box by using that little, simple lock on the front of 
the big, shiny square. All you need there is a rather sturdy, small "T" shaped 
piece of metal... it's not all that complicated. 
 
Payphones are easy targets, they're usually out in the middle of BFE with nobody 
around so you can take your time. They're made that way, so people stranded out 
there can make a call. Two minutes of picking can usually net you an average of 
$50. 
 
 
7.0 - Easy way of stealing money from soda machines (Stuffing)
 
A good way to scam a soda or most other vending machines
 
1. Find the little change return slot thingy.
 
2. Find piece of rigid cardboard.
 
3. Stick piece of cardboard up change return blocking all change.
 
4. Come back and remove cardboard. Dance while coins rain from the machine like 
your in Vegas.
 
5. Stop dancing and run away.
 
I think I’ll just state the obvious and say that you do it in a machine that 
sells cans not the $1 bottles and cans for sixty to sixty five cents there’s a 
good chance that a person will have three quarters. Also collect the money at 
night. I‘ve never done it myself but some one tried to pull something like that 
at a machine I used with a tissue that i removed i got three dollars and 
thwarted them. If you ever collected more than 3 dollars a day some one would 
complain or find the jam making it so you get no money. 3 is an arbitrary number 
but it’s around what I believe to be accurate. The trick for you would be to put 
the jam in a vending machine that is high traffic enough that you can get the 
money quickly enough so that no one realizes what’s going on. and low traffic 
enough that you stand a good chance that no whiners or inquisitive people use 
the machine. If you get any more than that people are dumber than I thought.
 
8.0 – More Stuffing 
 
The above was an example of "stuffing" here is a simplified method that is best 
done in isolated areas on payphones with little risk. 
There are dangers and there are benefits to this method. 
Ok dangers first. There may be a spike and you could get your finger jabbed. 
Ok benefits. you could make a lot of money if you get a routine going in high 
traffic areas. 
How its done: you get a wire hanger and make a hook that will fit pretty high up 
the change slot. Now get toilet paper and stuff and stuff and stuff. ok drop 
about 3 pennies in the coin slot. did they fall out. if not your set if they did 
keep stuffing. ok no depending on how much traffic the phone gets you should 
visit between 1-3 days apart. then restuff every time you cash in. How to cash 
in? Remember that wire stick it in the change slot the pick at the tissue till 
it falls apart and the change plops out. hold the change door open when doing 
this because if there is a lot of change the door could shut and not be open 
able. This is bad because you get no money. If the picling the toilet paper out 
with the wire is boring you and you want a funnier way or the tissue is stuck 
and unable to be removed then fill the change slot with any flammable liquid 
that turns into a gas then light. The tissue should go up in flames. The weakend 
tissue will eventually give way to the weight of the coins after being burnt and 
then cha-ching . Good luck.
 
9.0 – Credits
 
 
Fixit   - Most of the files are his so all praise to fixit !
Alan Smithee
Bongman
nito721
 
I’d also like to shout out to: 
Enigma for his wicked BBS
And *Guilotine* for just being a dude
And the real for is amazing expertise in the field of explosives and weapons
 
 
RESPECT
 
 
Oh and what file would be complete with out and an out of date add for a dial up 
BBS and some crummy ASCI art !
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