Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!iuvax!rutgers!bellcore!texbell!vector!telecom-gateway From: stiatl!john@gatech.edu (John DeArmond) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Can an AOS Masquerade as MCI? Message-ID: Date: 27 Aug 89 06:11:10 GMT Reply-To: John DeArmond Organization: Sales Technologies Inc., "The Procedure IS the product" Lines: 37 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 328, message 3 of 8 In article SINGER@almaden.ibm.com (David Singer) writes: >I know that some AOS companies have access to the AT&T/BOC PIN database so >they can verify my card and charge me through my local phone company. Am I >safe from AOSes when I call the MCI 950 (or 800) number and use my MCI Card? NO!! you are not. If you place a call through a COCOT or a phone in a captive envronment (hotel, hospital, etc), the AOS has the technical ability to trap ALL routing requests and charge through their systems. And if the AOS is sleezy (as most are), they will even imitate other carriers. A few years ago, I worked on a team that designed a central office system for an AOS. This system trapped all calls and handled them through the AOS facilities. The display on the operator's console told her what carrier the caller had requested so she could act like an AT&T operator or whatever. The FCC has ruled that this practice is illegal but it continues. I tested a phone known to be on this AOS a couple of weeks ago and found them doing the same old stuff. Best advice I can give is to totally avoid pay phones that don't have the name of the local BOC on them and when in captive environments, ASK who the LD carrier is. I personally refuse to patronize any facility such as hotels that uses an AOS. And I vocally tell them why. Remember that one of the major reasons AOS systems have grown like they have is the greed of the facility owners. The kickbacks are sometimes irrestible. John -- John De Armond, WD4OQC | Manual? ... What manual ?!? Sales Technologies, Inc. Atlanta, GA | This is Unix, My son, You ...!gatech!stiatl!john **I am the NRA** | just GOTTA Know!!!