Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!netsys!vector!nobody From: kwc@naucse Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Fraudulent use of 900 #'s Message-ID: Date: 12 Jan 89 19:42:37 GMT Sender: chip@vector.UUCP Lines: 79 Approved: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-Originally-From: arizona!naucse!kwc X-Submissions-To: telecom@bu-cs.bu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.uucp X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 18, message 3 I saw an interested approach to the illegal use of 900 numbers on a T.V. news program the other night. It seems that a man in New York city set up a 900 number for his home and proceeded to place an advertisement in the New York Times to the effect that he had a "free" house for rent in trade for upkeep and maintenance on the house. I can't remember what percentage of the income went to the phone company and what percentage went to the guy in NYC but he got significantly more than 50%. Finally, after enough complaints, the FBI launched an investigation and told this guy to remove the add. He did remove the add but one week later he took out another add for some other deal which was "too good to pass up" using the same 900 number. After several weeks the FBI was again notified and they investigated again. This time the investigation was more significant and the whole affair may eventually go into litigation. But as of the news report that I saw, all money received by this man was still in his possession. It seems to me that the advent of 900 numbers has opened up a whole new category of fraudulent crimes (recall the Portland Santa Claus 900 number discussed on the net not long ago), as well as all of the problems parents have making sure that their teenagers are not running up hundreds of dollars in bills from 900 numbers. Add to that all of the complaints about telephone solicitation and it makes me wonder if the phone company is in the service of the business world rather than individual users. I guess whoever has the most money wins! -- Ken Collier ...arizona!naucse!kwc College of Engineering and Technology Bitnet: collier@nauvax Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, Arizona From: rebel@swbatl.swbt.com To: telecom@bu-cs.bu.edu Subject: Re: Fraudulent use of 900 #'s Date: 13 Jan 89 15:42:50 GMT Organization: Southwestern Bell Tele. Co. - Advanced Technology Lab - St. Louis In article <1121@naucse.UUCP> kwc@naucse.UUCP (Ken Collier) writes: >It seems to me that the advent of 900 numbers has opened up a whole new >category of fraudulent crimes.... >...and it makes me wonder if the phone company is in the service >of the business world rather than individual users. I guess whoever has the >most money wins! Now exactly who do you think ends up paying for telephone fraud???? The telephone company. When a teenager runs up $2,000 in 900# calls and the parents complain, the phone company ends up footing the bill, the parents aren't about to pay $2,000 and the sure don't want to have to discipline their children or even worse actually "supervise" them!!! (Whats really weird, and of course kinda off the subject, but my parents would have skinned me alive if I had run up that kind of a bill, and probably would have made me pay for it...) The phone company pays for all kinds of fraudulent phone calls. College students from foreign countries who call home and then skip out leaving a bill of about $3,000, stolen calling cards that are used by the thief, etc, etc. I could go on and on. How do I know??? Well I used to work in the Security Department and the toughest thing to do is collect money from customers who aren't responsible for their card being stolen or their kid calling whomever. Businesses stay in business by making money. Plain and simple. Try to run a business that loses money and see how long it lasts. And when the phone company makes money, I make money being an employee. But then I turn around and buy a new car, and that keeps Ford in business, and I rent an apartment, and that keeps the landlord in business, and it goes on and on..... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- \ Sharon Deetz, System Administrator / "The only trouble with / Southwestern Bell Telephone - Advanced Tech Lab \ being in the rat race \ 1010 Pine St. - Room 502 - St. Louis. MO. 63101. / is even if you win / UUCP: {pyramid, uunet, bellcore}...!swbatl!rebel \ you're still a rat!" =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-