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D e d i c a t e d  -  P h r e a k e r s  -  U n t i l  -  A p p r h e n d e d  
    Phreakers                              Until       Apprehended
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Alright, since I thought this was a big issue, I thought I'd write a doc on
this particular subject since a couple of my friends have been busted too.
Anyways, the following is an article from the San Jose Mercury News newspaper
on Wednesday morning, May 9th 1990. For those of you who don't watch the news
or read newspapers, live off in Cambodia, or you've been hacking constantly
and just don't have time for stuff like this, lemme fill you in. It appears
that the Secret Service ran a series of raids on apartments across the nation
against Hackers/Phreakers/and Carders alike. Anyways, Just read the article.
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HACKERS TARGETED IN FRAUD PROBE
By: Rory J. O'Conner
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In a sweeping nationwide investigation of alledged wire fraud by computer and
telephone hackers, the Secret Service on Tuesday searched as many as 29
locations in 13 cities, including one in San Jose.
	
	Only sketchy details of the investigation, code-named "Operation: Sun
-Devil," were available late Tuesday, but it apparently is the biggest of its
kind.
	Officials have called an 11 a.m. press conference in Phoenix today to
provide details. The hackers are believed to involved in the theft of bank
credit card numbers and long-distance access codes, and in unauthorized comp-
uter access. Some of the hackers may also have infiltrated hospital records
and altered "911" emergency records, according to law enforcement sources who
requested to remain anonymous. (Hmmmmm, I wonder why?? heheh)
	
	A single search warrant was executed in San Jose on Tuesday, said
Leo Cunningham, an attorney in the U.S. attorney's San Jose office. That
warrant is sealed, and Cunningham would not disclose the location that was
searched or name any local suspects in the investigation.
	
	Secret Service spokesman Richard Adams in Washington declined to
provide details of the investigation, referring calls to the Phoenix office
of the U.S. attorney Stephen McNamee, who supervised the effort. Adams did say,
however, that by late Tuesday afternoon the investigation was "pretty much
done." McNamee also declined to comment, but will direct the press conference.
	
	CBS news reports Tuesday that there had been 10 arrests throughout the
country and that the hackers had infiltrated certain bank records. One source
said as many as 150 Secret Service agents participated in the raids. But one
law enforcement source directly involved in the investigation cautioned that
some early reports were inaccurate or incomplete.
	
	In addition to San Jose and Phoenix, the search warrants were report
-edly executed in Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Los Angeles, Miami, Newark,
NA.,New York, Pittsburg, San Diego, Richmond, VA., and Plano, Texas.
	
	The theft of credit card numbers and telephone access card numbers via
computers has been practiced for years by a loose underground of technically
savvy "phone phreaks." The phreaks often maintain secret computer "bulletin
boards," which they use via telephones to swap or sell the illicit codes.

	Computer break-ins have also been accomplished by a small number of
so-called hackers, usually technically sophisticated teen-age boys who commit
the crimes as pranks or self-styled "rite if passage" into the world of
computer programming. Until recently, few of them have been caught and pro-
secuted, and most who have been convicted, received fairly light sentences
involving little or no jail time.

	Under new computer crime laws, the Secret Service has jurisdiction to
investigate allegations of electronic fraud through the use of access devices
such as credit-card numbers and codes that long-distance companies issue to
individual callers.

	Defendants convicted of unauthorized use of such "access devices" can
be sentenced up to 10 years in prison if they commit fraud of more then $1,000
according to the law. (WHOA! No fucking way, dude!)

	A similiar investigation supervised by federal prosecutors in Chicago
has resulted in several indictments.
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Wow, some heavy shit eh? Anyways, more of my bullshit. All of these people that
DID get busted usually had used the codes that totaled to over 7000 bucks or
more in phone calls. In other words, if you've been phreaking for over 2 years,
I'd be watchin yer ass. A couple of my friends and some of my friends' friends,
that have been busted, said that they've been phreaking at least over 2 years.
So those of you who have only been hacking for a year, I wouldn't be too
worried.

	Now for my lecture. Phreaking is a SERIOUS offense, and I'm not telling
you to stop but to BE CAREFUL!! Different companies handle their "access codes"
differently than other companies. Don't abuse codes too much. A good way to
handle codes is use them for 3 to 4 days, and then post them on some lamer
board. If you are a fairly nice hacker, I'm sure you could come up with new
codes daily. Then again, if yer a selfish bastard, don't listen to me. BUT
the company KNOWS you are there and they KNOW who you are. It's a matter of
choice if they should bust you or not. If you abuse their stuff and rack up
a major bill for them, it's only a matter of TIME before yer busted. Then
again, if you must phreak, then do it but move around. Try different companies.
If you hack one company for like 6 months, of COURSE you're gonna get hit but
if you hack one company for 1 month, then switch to another and so on and so on
your chances of NOT getting busted are much higher



Thanks go out to The Sable Syntax, Big Vito, and the rest of the D.P.U.A gang.
You can find a D.P.U.A member on yer local H/P Board.