From: John Young <jya@pipeline.com>
Date: Mon, 18 May 1998 10:37:57 -0700 (PDT)
To: cypherpunks@toad.com
Subject: German Phone Cards Hacked
Message-ID: <199805181737.NAA03845@camel8.mindspring.com>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain


Forwarded from Europe:

May 18, 1998

Telephone card fraud in the millions of dollars.

Hackers from the Netherlands have inundated the German market with illegally
recharged telephone cards, causing losses in the several millions of marks
(millions of dollars), stated the weekly Focus, due out Monday.

In breaking the telephone cards' code, the hackers succeeded in recharging
cards emptied of their credit.

The German association of tobacconist wholesalers assesses losses at 60
million marks (33 million dollars), reports Focus.

The con men bought used cards by the thousands from collectors. As a
result, their intitial price of five pfenning (2.7 cents) per card quickly
rose to one mark (55 cents).

According to experts cited by Focus, the recharged cards, which the
pirates resold at a lesser or equivalent price, are impossible to
distinguish from those purchased legitimately.

Card producers intend to stop this illegal commerce thanks to a new software
program allowing used cards to be electronically marked, the weekly believes.

[Translation by DN]

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Escroquerie de plusieurs millions de dollars par cartes tlphoniques

Des pirates informatiques nerlandais ont inond le march allemand avec
des cartes tlphoniques recharges illgalement, causant un prjudice
de plusieurs millions de marks (plusieurs millions de dollars), affirme
l'hebdomadaire Focus  paratre lundi.

En forant le systme de codage des cartes tlphoniques, les pirates
ont russi  recharger des cartes vides de leurs units.

L'association allemande des grossistes et dbitants de tabac chiffre le
prjudice  60 millions de marks (33 millions de dollars), rapporte
Focus.

Les escrocs achetaient des cartes usages par milliers auprs de
collectionneurs. Leur prix initial de cinq pfennig (2,7 cents) par carte
est de ce fait rapidement mont  prs d'un mark (55 cents).

Selon des experts cits par Focus, les cartes recharges, que les
pirates revendaient  un moindre prix ou au mme prix, sont impossibles
 diffrencier de celles dment achetes.

Les fabricants de cartes entendent stopper ce commerce illgal grce 
un nouveau programme informatique (software) permettant de marquer
lectroniquement les cartes usages, croit savoir l'hebdomadaire.