*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-* * * * How to "Steal" Local Calls from Most Payphones * * * * August 25, 1987 * * * * By Killer Smurf and Pax Daronicus * * * *-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-*-+-* Most of you have seen WarGames, right? Remember the part where David was stranded in Colorado and needed to call his girlfriend in Seattle? We knew you did. If you didn't, what David done was unscrew the mouthpiece on the payphone and make some connection between the mouthpiece and the phone. Well... that was pretty close to reality except for two things... 1> Nowadays, mouthpieces are un-unscrewable, and 2> You cannot make long distance or toll calls using that method. Maybe that DID work on older phones, but you know Ma Bell. She always has a damn cure for every thing us Phreaks do. She glued on the mouthpiece! Now to make free local calls, you need a finishing nail. We highly recommend "6D E.G. FINISH C/H, 2 INCH" nails. These are about 3/32 of an inch in diameter and 2 inches long (of course). You also need a large size paper clip. By large we mean they are about 2 inches long (FOLDED). Then you unfold the paper clip. Unfold it by taking each piece and moving it out 90 degrees. When it is done it should look somewhat like this: /----------\ : : : : : : : : \----- Now, on to the neat stuff. What you do, instead of unscrewing the glued-on mouthpiece, is insert the nail into the center hole of the mouthpiece (where you talk) and push it in with pressure or just hammer it in by hitting the nail on something. Just DON'T KILL THE MOUTHPIECE! You could damage it if you insert the nail too far or at some weird angle. If this happens then the other party won't be able to hear what you say. You now have a hole in the mouthpiece in which you can easily insert the paper clip. So, take out the nail and put in the paper clip. Then take the other end of the paper clip and shove it under the rubber cord protector at the bottom of the handset (you know, the blue guy...). This should end up looking remotely like...like this: /----------\ Mouthpiece : : / Paper clip --> : : / : /---:---\ : : : :------------> ====================\---))): : To earpiece -> ^ ^ \--------------------> : : : : Cord Blue guy (The paper clip is shoved under the blue guy to make a good connection between the inside of the mouthpiece and the metal cord.) Now, dial the number of a local number you wish to call, sayyyy, MCI. If everything goes okay, it should ring and not answer with the "The Call You Have Made Requires a 20 Cent Deposit" recording. After the other end answers the phone, remove the paper clip. It's all that simple, see? There are a couple problems, however. One is, as we mentioned earlier, the mouthpiece not working after you punch it. If this happens to you, simply move on to the next payphone. The one you are now on is lost. Another problem is that the touch tones won't work when the paper clip is in the mouthpiece. There are two ways around this.. A> Dial the first 6 numbers. This should be done without the paper clip making the connection, i.e., one side should not be connected. Then connect the paper clip, hold down the last digit, and slowly pull the paper clip out at the mouthpiece's end. B> Don't use the paper clip at all. Keep the nail in after you punch it. Dial the first 6 digits. Before dialing the last digit, touch the nail head to the plate on the main body of the phone, the money safe thingy..then press the last number. The reason that this method is sometimes called clear boxing is because there is another type of phone which lets you actually make the call and listen to them say "Hello, hello?" but it cuts off the mouthpiece so they can't hear you. The Clear Box is used on that to amplify your voice signals and send it through the earpiece. If you see how this is even slightly similar to the method we just described up there, kindly explain it to US!! Cause WE don't GET IT! Anyways, this DOES work on almost all single slot, Dial Tone First payphones (Pacific Bell for sure). We do it all the time. This is the least, WE STRESS *LEAST*, risky form of Phreaking. And remember. There are other Phreaks like you out there who have read this article and punch payphones, so look before you punch, and save time. If you feel the insane desire to have to contact us to bitch at us for some really stupid mistake in this article, you can reach us at Lunatic Labs Unltd...415/278-7421. It should be up for quite a while.. Also, if you think of any new ideas that can be used in conjunction with this method, such as calling a wrong number on purpose and demanding your quarter back from the 0perator, tell us!! Post it on Looney!! Oh, and if this only works on Pac Bell phones, tell us also! Thanks for your time, upload this to every board you can find. You may use this material in any publication - electronic, written, or otherwise without consent of the authors as long as it is reproduced in whole, with all credit to the authors (us!) and Lunatic Labs. And now, the Bullshit: _________________________________________________________________________ DISCLAIMER: This disclaimer disclaims that this article was written for your information only. Any injuries resulting from this file (punctured hands, sex organs, etc.) is NOT OUR FAULT! And of course if you get really stupidly busted in any way because of this, it ain't our fault either. You're the dumb ass with the nail. So, proceed with care, but... HELL! Have fun. Later... _________________________________________________________________________ DINC!