Beginner Phreaking ------------------ First you need the number of a local PBX exchange. A PBX is a long distance company such as MCI, Sprint, Metro, All-net, Skyline, etc. Each of these companies has phone numbers local to you for their customers to dial out their long-distance calls. One such number is 583-9700. This is MCI local to Baltimore. However there is not just one phone line on this exchange. When you call the above number, your call gets bumped to the next open line. For this number, I believe there are about 25 lines so the phone numbers go from 583-9700 to 583-9725. It is rumored that the numbers ending in 0 are monitored and are therefor more dangerous however I don't believe that, your call gets bumped so quickly that they wouldn't notice a thing, it might be more dangerous to dial the alternate numbers since they may get suspicious as to why someone would do that, so call the number ending in 0 or 00. To get some exchanges local to your area, check the Elite board on this BBS or others for info. Some numbers start with 950. This exchange is a free call from any pay phone anywhere you are, so that people with calling cards may make calls without having any change. I have heard rumors that these numbers are more likely to have tracing on them than the normal exchanges (ie. non-950). Ok, when someone wants to make a call using a PBX they call the exchange and shortly after a ring there will be a low steady tone, then the person dials their code (anywhere from 5-9 digits depending on the company) then they dial the area code they want to call and then the number (without the 1-). So it goes like this 57687(code)+301(area)+9979973(#) . All together it would be 576873019979973. You need a touch tone phone to do this. If you have rotary service, use a pulse phone to dial the exchange and then a touch tone to make the tones. (A switchable tone/pulse phone is useful if you have rotary service). When you get the numbers for the exchange make sure you get the number of digits of the code, you can figure it out if you have to. MCI is 5 digits and the code is short enough to do by hand, any codes longer than that you will have to scan for codes using a computer. Now how to get the codes: By hand: Take out a piece of paper, a pencil, a touchtone phone, and a comfortable chair. Pick a 5 digit code (assuming MCI) ending in 00, such as 89800. Now you call the exchange, wait for tone and dial code+area+number, you will then immediately get a recording, 'The access code you have dialed is invalid...'. So you put a check down marking that 89800 is not a good code, then you call back and try 89801 and so on. If you get a good code your call will go through. For the area code and number you choose, you can choose anything you want, you will know when the call goes through. If it does, you have a good code! Sometimes you will get a code every 10 tries sometimes it will take a couple hundred! You may have noticed this is a little tedious so you get yourself a touch tone modem and a scanning program (ask around or look in the download files). The pogram will ask you for a couple numbers and then it will proceed to keep calling back with different codes. When the PRG asks for the number to call put in the number of a BBS that you know is never busy or better yet the number of a mainframe such as 338-8600, cuz when the computer calls it waits for the carrier if the call goes through and that's how it knows it's a good code. If the BBS is busy then you will miss the code. You can set it and leave it on all night and when you wake up you will have a few dozen codes! DANGERS:::The best way for them to catch you is to look at the incoming calls and see sequential codes being dialed and if they are advanced enough (or are good friends with AT+T which only Sprint is) they may trace you. The best way to beat that is get a random scanner or write one, it's not hard at all. When you get a code, do not use it for more than a month because eventually the person whose code it belongs to will get their bill, scream at MCI (or whoever) and MCI will either make them pay for the calls (and lose a customer) or will give the person another code. They will either kill the old code or try to trace if someone uses the old code. So throw away the code after a month. Sometimes you may stumble on a code they may be tracing and you wouldn't know it but there is a way to check...Use the code to dial 301-997-9973, you will then hear a whoop tone. If the tone is a steady tone you are being traced. This is only a rumor and I don't believe that it can actually work because a trace now a days takes milliseconds. But I do use it just in case. The biggest danger: MCI doesn't know who made the call but on the person's phone bill it will have a list of the numbers you called, so your friend may get a call from MCI asking questions. Either make sure your friend can handle the pressure and not rat on you or just call BBS's cuz when they call they will just get a carrier and forget about it. Ok, well there are you, good luck and FOLLOW MY PRECAUTIONS and DON'T GET BUSTED!! You will only get caught if you do something stupid like use a code too long or giving them to your friends, the way almost everyone gets caught is by someone telling on them so don't tell anyone what you are doing and don't ever mention this file!! Diverters --------- 214-824-8262 914-273-8237 312-678-8841 718-591-5500 203-563-0324 202-244-1000 602-987-2767 617-258-8270 914-353-0121 512-250-0061 201-233-6688 803-271-8122 313-294-9520 701-293-7041 617-879-7544 901-202-3928 607-722-4256 404-448-9533 404-477-0700 201-752-6000 301-879-7087 301-879-9913 617-655-8000 617-655-8040 312-678-9923 312-678-9952 617-655-0700 215-547-4747 617-383-9100 800-845-8824 800-327-3535 800-638-2000 800-634-0001 800-368-5680 800-424-4883 800-325-9990 800-637-0001 800-858-9000 Loops ----- 301-263-9926/9 619-748-0002/3 505-233-9900/2 505-865-9900/2 415-947-0044/5 313-528-9996/7 313-282-2891(-5) 512-250-0061(-3) 913-371-9988/9 416-868-1186/7 303-321-0000/10 402-779-0007/8 616-997-9996/? 714-525-1118/9 213-830-1118/9 714-591-1118/9 714-597-1118/9 714-598-1118/9 714-794-1118/9 714-535-1118/9 202-342-9947/8 313-678-9996/7 201-467-9929/30 201-761-9929/30 201-762-9929/30 201-764-9929/30 212-228-9979/? 213-365-1119/? 313-751-9996/7 313-477-9996/7 313-273-9996/7 414-781-0010/? 713-442-1799/? 805-544-0044/? 607-775-9917/? 607-775-9945/? 313-263-9996/7 313-247-9996/7 313-978-9996/7 313-977-9996/7 Canadian Loops: --------------- 416-xxx-118617 xxx=868,245,292,592,599