******** ******** ########################## ** ** **** ** ** ** ** # B U S T E D ! # ** ** ** ** ** ** ******** # ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ # ** ** ** ** ** ** ** # Written By: # ** ** ********** ** ** ** # The Leviathan # ** ** ** ** ******** ** ########################## ********** ** ** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ HACKERS TARGETED IN FRAUD PROBE By: Rory J. O'Conner ------------------------------- 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. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.