4 expanded posts ยท every known parent and child
Sandy wrote, "Tim asked about "phone remailers" in one of his recent posts. Until that happens, remember that the anonymous phone cards offered by AT&T and Western Union (and others) are almost as good. This is especially true if you "chain" call through two or more different phone cards." Please post details of these. How do they charge you then? Must you use a phonebooth? -=Xenon=-
On Mon, 14 Feb 1994 qwerty-remailer@netcom.com wrote:
> Sandy wrote,
> "Tim asked about "phone remailers" in one of his recent posts. Until that
> happens, remember that the anonymous phone cards offered by AT&T and
> Western Union (and others) are almost as good. This is especially true
> if you "chain" call through two or more different phone cards."
>
> Please post details of these. How do they charge you then? Must you use
> a phonebooth?
>
> -=Xenon=-
You don't "charge". You buy a pre-paid card for a set amount of money or
minutes. For example Safeway was selling "certificates" good for 30
minutes of long distance for $5. Then you dialed the providers number,
entered your certificate number, then dialed in the number you wanted to
reach. Much like using MCI 14 years ago. Using a phone booth, would add
security. I don't know what type of logs would be kept by the provider.
Obviously if they kept a log with caller id info plus the number dialed
then they wouldn't be very secure, espicially since the fact that you
dialed the provider would be recorded. If a pen register was used on
your line, all the info. dialed in would be recorded, including the final
destination number. This would of course be true of a wiretap also. Pen
registers are more common than full scale wiretaps. Use a pay phone, in
concert with the pre-paid cards for maximum security. But of course, the
security of the line on the other end is not guaranteed either. Thus, the
need for non-clipper voice encrption asap.
Kirk Sheppard
kshep@netcom.com
______________________________________________________________________________
************** "It is Better to Die on Your Feet Than to **************
Live On Your Knees."
- Emiliano Zapata
______________________________________________________________________________C'punks, On Mon, 14 Feb 1994 qwerty-remailer@netcom.com wrote: > Sandy wrote, > "Tim asked about "phone remailers" in one of his recent posts. Until that > happens, remember that the anonymous phone cards offered by AT&T and > Western Union (and others) are almost as good. This is especially true > if you "chain" call through two or more different phone cards." > > Please post details of these. How do they charge you then? Must you use > a phonebooth? > > -=Xenon=- > What I was discussing are "pre-paid" calling cards. You can buy Western Union cards at any Western Union representative office. AT&T cards are available at AT&T Phone Stores. Other brands are also available . I recently saw another such card being advertised in the camara section of Pay Less Drugs. I also mentioned another brand (Telekey) in one of my "Norman French" articles in MONDO 2000 last year. Their phone number is (800) 776-5424. You buy them with cash. They each represent a pre-set number of minutes in an already established account. They can be used from any phone, but since you have to call an 800 number to use them, some record of your calling number may be captured by ANI (Automatic Number Identification) and kept by the card company. S a n d y
Earlier, Sandy Sandfort wrote: > What I was discussing are "pre-paid" calling cards. You can buy Western [..] > French" articles in MONDO 2000 last year. Their phone number is (800) > 776-5424. Here in Australia, we have only two telecos (currently in the midst of a deregulatory process), one is the prer deregulation entity and as such owns all the payphones across the country. All payphones can accept cards similar to what you describe, we call them 'phonecards'. You buy your topped up card at a newsagent or one of many vendors around the place even machines on railway platforms. You mention that an 800 number must be called ? Interesting, ours are totally different in that respect, for all intents and purposes, the card is nothing more than a cash subsitute, you push it in the phone instead of coins, and it deducts credit. These cards are throwaway, credit info is stored magnetically and a holes are punched to give a visual indication of credit left. An LCD display on the phone shows your credit when you put the card in. These are true anonymous cash substitutes, of course except that they are not accepted as legal tender. On one occasion, I paid a person this way, using $30 worth of $10 phonecards, not because of any untraceibility aspects, but because it happened to be convenient tender for me at the time. Also! It is possible to store numbers on them, the intended market being for parents to give kiddies a card with an autodial number (ie. home) incase of problems. Kiddie pops in card, it automagically dials home. I don't have any idea as to whether this number is shown on the LCD when it is dialed. I suspect it is, otherwise I think you can see situations like the following: A: "If you need to contact me, pop in the card, it'll give me a ring" B: "But whats your number ?" A: "You don't need to worry about that." Matthew. -- Matthew Gream. ph: (02)-821-2043. M.Gream@uts.edu.au. PGPMail and brown paperbags accepted. - Non Servatum -