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Mysteries of the Las Vegas Telecom System 127

Posted by michael from the your-call-cannot-be-completed-as-dialed dept.
Reverend Raven writes "This is from Security Focus and deals with how some people believe a group of uber-hackers controls the Vegas telecom system. Interesting read, indeed." A follow-up to this old story. The case seems to be still winding its way through the bureaucracy.
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Mysteries of the Las Vegas Telecom System More

Mysteries of the Las Vegas Telecom System

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  • This is exactly the kind of stuff they have been making movies about, uber hackers taking over stuff and causing trouble. This would make a kinda boring movie though, because its probobly not some glamish kids who talk funny and rollarblade around some big city, its probobly some old fat guys who drink too much diet pepsi.

  • From reading the article (Score:5, Interesting)

    by phaze3000 ( 204500 ) on Friday May 17, 2002 @03:17AM (#3535649) Homepage
    callers from outside Vegas, or from payphones and cell phones, get through, he says, but hotel callers frequently get false busy signals, or reach silence

    This sounds to me like systematic hacking of hotel telephone exchanges, so assuming Sprint isn't responsible for these (I don't see why it would be) I'm really not sure that this is Sprint's fault or problem.

    • That's interesting... I wonder if it's illegal in the US for the hotels to do that, since they're not a public telecoms service? It certainly would open up a whole new (evil) revenue stream for them. I bet pizza delivery restaurants would pay good money for that too.

      I know it's illegal in the UK now under the RIP bill, but can anyone say for definite if it is in the US?
      • I would have to assume that intentionally misrouting a call for financial gain would fall under wire fraud no matter who owns the phone hardware.

        The reason that this scam (assuming it is) works and your proposed pizza one would not, is that when someone looks up Dominos and calls Dominos, they notice when a Papa Johns guy comes to their door. When you're calling a bail bond agency or a hooker (let's call a hooker a hooker), you don't care who you get on the phone, as long as they provide the service you want. A vast majority of the people who were misrouted would have had no idea. And since at least half of the companies involved are quasi-legal at best, nobody complains to the cops.

        -B

    • No - the switch has been hacked. (Score:5, Informative)

      by Innominate Recreant ( 557409 ) on Friday May 17, 2002 @06:13AM (#3535986)
      I write telephony software. It's not the hacking of hotel telephone exchanges - it's the hacking of the swtiches at the telco. When you make a telephone call, the telco not only sends the ANI (caller id - phone number) it sends infodigits - a two-digit number identifying the type of phone from which you are calling - a residential phone, a hotel, payphone, prison, etc. It's very easy to program a switch to reroute calls to a particular DNIS based on infodigits so that if someone at a payphone calls 800-555-1234 the call goes through, but if someone from a hotel calls the same DNIS, it gets routed to a different DNIS, or goes to reorder. It's equally easy to create a conference on the switch, allowing a third party to "listen in" to call - explaining the appearance of one his competitor's "dancers" at a customer's hotel room.

      This is what the plaintiff in the story is alleging - that Sprint's switches are being reprogrammed by uberhackers in the employ of the Mob or some other competing organizations.

      • I hadn't considered this possibility, but from what I know of telecoms systems (I don't write telephony software, but I have some knowledge of the domain) what you say certainly sounds possible.

        Without further evidence it's impossible to say, but either explanation could be correct.
        Also, if it were the hotels that were compromised, it could be not a group of 'uber-hackers', but instead just an old-fashioned case of bribery and corruption, with hotels paid/forced to alter their exchanges by the mob.

        • I remember hearing something similar to this before. It was a premium rate operator in Las Vegas who suddenly found all his calls were being diverted (he presumed by the mob) unfortunately I can't remember any more details.

      • As a former adminstrator of hotel telephone switches, I suspect that either the hotel's switches are being hacked into (most hotels retain default passwords) or the hotel or someone at the hotel is being paid to change the hotel switch's call routing tables. This is a simpler explanation than the telco switches being hacked and is right in line with the plaintiff's "it only happened from hotels" statement.

        maru
        • either the hotel's switches are being hacked into or the hotel or someone at the hotel is being paid to change the hotel switch's call routing tables.

          Or someone at a company that installs/maintains PBXs for hotels.

          I would expect that would be a fairly cost efficient way of affecting multiple hotel phone systems. The less people who need to get bribed/keept quiet, the better for the success of any scam.

          • Yeah, excellent theory. I am surprised that the investigation has not focused more in this direction. Everything I have read about this issue seems to indicate that the investigation ignores the fact that the guy has said it only happens from hotels and the presence of the hotel PBX.

            maru
      • Why couldn't it be the PBXs at the hotels? Many of those hotels continue to have shady associations (though they've been mostly taken over by large media consortiums, the mob hasn't left Las Vegas. Speaking of that I recall the ?excellent series [kuro5hin.org] on professional gamblers), and each represents thousands of patrons, many of whom are looking to separate themselves from their money (and some bodily fluids) : It would not surprize me whatsoever if, at the motivational hands of either a baseball bat or a bag of cash, individual hotels contracted on to selectively block/forward calls (and I'd be curious of the legality of that: Technically it is their phone and their PBX...this is the same sort of BS that we see online all the time). You could take it lower and imagine it being just the IT manager, or IT department. Pretty much anyone can be bought, and it wouldn't surprize me a bit, especially when one could easily moralize and justify (at least to themselves) if all you're hurting are sex trade workers.

        I'm sure additionally that when the PUC or Sprint went into the hotel to do tests, they likely broadcast their arrival, probably booking the test times in advance. It seems to me that the hotels would be the first place I'd check, and I'd presume them to be hostile "witnesses" so to speak and wouldn't let them in on the tests.
        • Why couldn't it be the PBXs at the hotels? Many of those hotels continue to have shady associations (though they've been mostly taken over by large media consortiums, the mob hasn't left Las Vegas.
          It could be, if whatever group was behind this was able to get to every PBX in every hotel. Since it was reported that all hotel calls were being rerouted - and in the case of the bail bonds company, every payphone being rerouted, logic would dictate that the target of the reroutnig scam is the telco.
      • I spent 4 months hacking your software. It was my fulltime job! Phone switches are easier to hack then most home router/gateway combos.
  • "Munoz believes that test was compromised, and the hackers cleverly arranged for him to receive the test calls, while still blocking the other hotels."

    seriously, if they're that good, why don't they just hack into the FBI computer systems and invent a nice little file on him? why bother ruining his life by taking away his livelihood when they could just as easily be ruining it by sending him to jail for 20 years?

    • Re:yeah, i hate that too... (Score:1, Interesting)

      by Anonymous Coward
      Because you'd simply leave too much of a trail. How about making the guy sound like some fanatical old cook talking about hackers. Who's gonna really wanna spend time and/or money listening to this guy? We protect our racket; we get paid "X" amount of dollars per month and you get your calls. As an added bonus for an extra "X" amount of dollars we'll make it so that you get business and your competitor doesn't.

      After we milk these SOB's we'll fucking buy Las Vegas or start our own little joint and then cut them all out. . I'm so glad whats his name retired and those case files were burned. That was the only evidence on paper at all. . It's too late.. Do you hear me "Officials, Gov't etc" It's too FUCKING LATE!..

      Kinda got carried away ;)

      On a diff but slightly similar note the hacking of exchanges is nothing new and if you look in the 80-90's you'll see similar cases where a 14 yr old and some time could own an exchange.
    • Because the FBI is a little more serious about security than Sprint. Any time you hear "To my knowledge there's no way that a computer hacker could get into our systems" that means that their knowledge is lacking, not that their computers are safe.

  • Its not hackers... its Vegas... (Score:3, Funny)

    by MosesJones ( 55544 ) on Friday May 17, 2002 @03:38AM (#3535701) Homepage

    So lets get this straight, in a hotel in Vegas you may or may not get through when you dial out...

    Next week "$5 on getting through on the 4th occasion at 3-2"

    And "The Gamblers Suite, where even the phone has the element of chance, get through when the blue light is on and win a free meal for two at the Belagio"

  • Never... (Score:2, Funny)

    by HiQ ( 159108 )
    Nah, I don't believe those hackers are good enough too control the phonesys[beep]..[beep]..[beep]...[beep]...[beep].. .
  • A man in the porno biz get's the shaft and decides its because of 'Uber Hackers' employed by the higher powers in vegas to take business from him. Sounds way too Hollywood'ish to me, which I fully believe if they somehow win some sort of settlement in this, there will be at least some sort of T.V. Mini-Series that glams up this already semingly Fictional account of innocient victims in the Porn Industry.

    And if this story is even true, then why are these guys in court/hearings? It's only going to get them a cash settlement at best. But to me, despite the fact the basis of this whole ordeal is money apparently, I wonder why, or if they tried, to hire own their own 'Uber Hackers' to help 'counter' the others. Granted that would just make this whole thing sound way more bizarre than it already does. But these people deal in Sleeze, and I wouldn't think Sleeze would run to the authorities right off the bat, I'd think they'd feel more comfortable about my wonderings (of countering as opposed to having hearings.). Then again, who knows, they could have tried it and failed so their next option was to call on the P.U.C. to help lynch Sprint of Nevada.

    But I'll admit, I'm going to attempt to keep an eye on this story, curiousity, and I've got 8 lives to spare.
    • " A man in the porno biz get's the shaft..."

      Lemme guess...no pun intended?
    • I wonder why, or if they tried, to hire own their own 'Uber Hackers' to help 'counter' the others. Granted that would just make this whole thing sound way more bizarre than it already does

      "Bardarson says he discovered what appears to be computer security weakness in Sprint's infrastructure. He's not the only one. As SecurityFocus Online reported last year, former hacker claims extensive penetrations into Sprint's Las Vegas systems from approximately 1992 until his February, 1995 arrest -- smack dab in the middle of the call diversion complaints. Mitnick's access gave him the power to monitor or reprogram any phone line in town. Following that story, Munoz retained Mitnick as a technical consultant in his case, only to give him up later. Munoz says Mitnick wanted to run too many pointless tests; Mitnick says Munoz stiffed him and a partner for thousands of dollars in fees and expenses.",

    • Then again, who knows, they could have tried it and failed so their next option was to call on the P.U.C. to help lynch Sprint of Nevada.

      Given how often my DSL line at work goes down, Sprint deserves to be lynched. (At least we also have a cable-modem line that we can use as a backup...)

  • Uberhackers==police? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by rufusdufus ( 450462 ) on Friday May 17, 2002 @04:15AM (#3535788)
    It seems likely to me that the so-called uber hackers are really the police. Look at the the people involved in this: pimps and smut sellers and Gambino's [and somehow Kevin Mitnik]. The mobsters were caught in a sting when they tried to "muscle-in" on the phone racket. They could only have been caught if the Law knew what was going on.

    Last time I went to Vegas, it was much cleaned up from several years ago. Almost no porn and fewer hooker adds. Used to be you couldnt see the sidewalk for them. I say the police did it by jamming the unsavory's phones.
    • Could be an inside job - easier to do than an external hack. You'd know when the system is being checked aswell.
    • uhh.. no hookers? what the hell do you think these agencies that advertise "private dancers" for hotel rooms really are? thats exactly what this fellow in the courtoom is selling and thats exactly the business he's complaining about dropping off.

    • you wouldn't think that people within the bureaucracy would have a vested interest/disinterest in this? oh dear, that would be a conspiracy--and crazy! "the police and the criminals are generally the same people." BTW, you need to talk to a taxi driver.
    • no hooker ads? did you accidentally get a ticket to salt lake city?

      apparently you haven't walked down the strip. see those mexican immigrants tapping pamphlets against their hands to get your attention? yes, that's a book full of hooker ads. No, you're not going to find them on casino property, and more and more of the walk really is casino property on the new strip, but you'll find them everywhere else.

  • ...again, this appeared word for word as early as March 18 2002, google on "Larry Duke Reubel"

    hc

  • LV (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Konster ( 252488 ) on Friday May 17, 2002 @05:19AM (#3535901)
    Prostitution in Las Vegas is illegal. Refer to Nevada State Law, Chapter 244, Counties: Government General Provisions, section 8 for more info (NRS 244,345):

    8. In a county whose population is 400,000 or more, the license board shall not grant any license to a petitioner for the purpose of operating a house of ill fame or repute or any other business employing any person for the purpose of prostitution.

    Since Las Vegas is in Clark County, a county that has a population that is indeed over 400k, we can plainly see that prostitution is illegal in the area. Laws won't stop the average criminal from committing crimes, so we must assume that there is a fairly profitable business in LV selling flesh for pleasure.

    As far as I know, police would derive a greater benefit from simply arresting people who were breaking the law, other than jumping through some serious hoops to stealthily put people who derive their livelihood, directly or indirectly, upon the sale or aiding in the sale of illegal activities.

    It's far more likely that some people with money are paying people with some knowledge to put some technological legerdemain on their competition.

    Is this is some type of surprise? Hell, if I were a cop, I'd let the small fish get eaten by all the big fish, so I could catch and mount the big ones later.

    ...much later, it would seem.

    And someone named Escobar is in charge of the Utilities Cartel. Er, commission.
    • I assume 'license' is the for the building, akin to a liquor or firesafety (public saftey) license.

      If I read that law correctly, then you can't get a brothel or 'rest-station' (somewhere for the prostitues to stay when they are oncall, but not attending a client). But if the pimp works out of an office, and calls the girls at home to go to out, does this need a license? Or for that matter, if the girl just works for herself, giving out a mobile (cell) phone's number, I can't see that needing a license.

    • Prostitution in Las Vegas is illegal. Refer to Nevada State Law, Chapter 244, Counties: Government General Provisions, section 8 for more info (NRS 244,345):

      MOM! you know it embarrasses me when you post on slash dot!
  • Its not uber-hackers!!!

    IT's PHREAKERS

    Why can't anyone figure this out correctly?

  • no unauthorised call forwarding.. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by martin ( 1336 ) <maxsec@gm[ ].com ['ail' in gap]> on Friday May 17, 2002 @05:49AM (#3535950) Journal
    The gaunt and grizzled Hill is a former NYPD captain, and he testifies like a pro, giving short quick answers and volunteering little. "I remember investigating many cases of this nature," Hill says. "We would generally check to see that all the programming on the complainant's line was in order... We determined in every case that there was no unauthorized call-forwarding."

    so what was the 'authorised' call forwarding then?

    Anyway as a previous poster says..

    Sounds like the hotel's PABX's where hacked not Sprint's as it only effects calls from hotels not cell or other land lines..

  • Interesting testamony (Score:2, Insightful)

    by chrisos ( 186835 )
    "To my knowledge there's no way that a computer hacker could get into our systems," says Hill.

    Is it just me, or is it not surprising, that an ex-cop with no technical skills, knows of no way to hack into his ex-employer's network?

    If on the other hand, they had purchased some white hat experience for a week or two and the hat said the same thing, I might just think the same statement carried some weight.

    I wonder, if his car has never been stolen, does he belive that his car is un-stealable?

    I for one, have never cut my legs off, but I still do believe that it is possible.
  • If a single ad-publisher gets $0.25M in commision just for running ads for "escorts", I would guess the organization behind the prostitutes gets _lots_ more.

    Say, 75% of the prostitutes' income, then another 90% of their money as they buy their drugs.

    There are biiig money involved behind the scenes. Street violence, bodies of gang-members in the bushes etc, is only what "we" see of the underground world, but they surely have the resources to use technology as well for their purposes.

    Getting a competitor out of business using non-violent methods might not be as "impressive" (or frigthening) among the other competitors, but surely doesn't attract the police and media as much.

    /FLu

  • Uber Phreaks (Score:2, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward
    I know of at least 3 major "organizations" that operate using phone hackers in LV. These 3 groups make hundreds of millions a year for escort services and provide substantial kickbacks to several regional heads and a select group if repair crews to keep it quiet. This is why Sprint never sees a problem with these small-fry operators' connections.

    Unfortunately, the phreakers make VERY little compared to the top guys in this, but that will be changing very soon...

  • Really? (Score:3, Funny)

    by kpetruse ( 572247 ) on Friday May 17, 2002 @06:41AM (#3536069)
    You mean, there's someone carrying out illegal activity in Las Vegas?

    And the Police aren't doing anything to stop it?

    And a large company appears to be in the hands of mobsters?

    Whatever next?

    Before you know it, there will be stories about corporations buying influence in the US Government...but that could never happen...
  • It's not "uber hackers" or Phreaks. It's simply a case of crappy service- Possibly an employee of Sprint(disgruntled)who had access to their switch translations network(CCS/SS7 links).
  • So is this why making a phone call in Las Vegas costs an arm and a leg? Even at the cheapest hotels, calling something across the street will cost you at least $2 for the connection.

    Yes, I know that any casino area (read: Atlantic City, Vegas, reservations) nickle-and-dime you every chance they get, but sometimes it is a bit ridiculous.

    Even calling an 800 number costs money!

    • This is pretty much common in *any* hotel. I stayed in a Radisson in Chicago in March and the ratecard for the phones charged some outrageous rate for long distance ($4-5 per minute), an equally ridiculous rate for the local calls ($1-2 per minute) and I think toll free calls over 10 minutes were charged a few bucks, too.

      I can't remember the last time I stayed in a hotel that had "free" local calls. It might have been a Super 8 in Stumblefuck, Nebraska -- where are you going to call there?

      I'm not a super world traveler (maybe 4-5 trips per year), but it seems that the biggest trend is the clampdown on toll-free calls. I'm sure the rationale is to (1) make a buck where they weren't before and (2) by charging, maybe limit the number of outbound trunks they need.
      • Well, not to sound like an ad or anything, but every Motel 6 I ever stayed in has had free *local* calls, along with all the nasty sleezy hotels over in West Springfield (Massachusetts) (and the one REALLY sleezy one in Agawam). I've stayed in a few with ludicrous rates, though.
        • I'm sure small motels have really minimalist phone systems that lack the accounting capability to charge for local calls. Minimalist may mean no phone system at all, relying on telco centrex capability with some crude reporting to charge you for long distance calls.

          There's also the argument to be made that most people who stay in cheap motels don't make many phone calls, either because they're just sleeping or fucking there or because small motels are in the middle of nowhere and there's just no reason to call anybody.

          Besides, Motel 6 and Super 8 have to advertise *something*..
          • ::chuckles:: Yeah, I suppose you have a point, there...but just two things in my defense:

            -- The Riviera Beach Motor Inn (right on the ocean in S. Yarmouth, MA) doesn't, and it's hardly a small motel, or a cheap one (on season, $250 or so a night)

            -- The Shearaton in Springfield, MA and the Hilton in Valley Forge, PA don't charge either.

            I imagine that the possibility of charging is proportional to how much they believe they can ream you for. Hehe.
      • that's prob. the one that my friend works at in good old lexington, ne. if you ever stay there again, smell the hallways at night, they sure do smell good:)
        • No, this Super 8 was somewhere east of Grand Island, NE. Real small town, I think it might have had a mainstreet with the usual BS -- bars, implement dealers, gas station and a bad pancake joint by the interstate exit.

          I will give Super 8s a lot of credit, especially in small towns. They're almost universally very clean and the people who work at them are usually pretty friendly. This particular one was actually "luxurious" and had won like the Super 8 of the year award or something.

          We always bring our own towels when stay at them, though, as the towels provided are small and scratchy. Other than that, we stay at Super 8 almost exclusively when we travel on the road. We have one of their lodging directories and plan our driving around the Super 8 locations.
  • Okay folks, everyplace with a large mob influence has had it's phones tinkered with by the mob. This is old, but has not been talked about for a while, so it is a visit back to news.

    Back in the day, New York City had a privat phone network for the "mob", created with "idle" equipment and bribes to phone workers. Result, FBI taps were tapping the known phone numbers and the mob guys were using the "secret" network.

    Also, as far as rerouting disconnected numbers for fun and profit, lookup Poulsen's antics, plus other fun stuff.

    I will have to say that it is about time that a Telco is getting called on the carpet for their lack of security, rather than just grebbing another Kevin Mitnic or whomever and blaming every problem on them, then discovering the problem still exists after you take away his access to communications.
  • ...are belong to us.
  • "It's against that backdrop that the PUC staff -- the only players in the room without their own chips in the game -- have adopted the position that Munoz hasn't proven his case," yet . . . . the PUC staff is recommending that the commission open a new investigatory docket to explore Sprint's security issues, and to force the company to undergo security audits,"

    This is a standard bureaucratic coverup. "There's no problem here, but we're taking steps to solve the problem that we're sure doesn't exist in spite of the evidence to the contrary".

    To admit that Ruebel is correct, the commission would have to admit that they were asleep at the switch (excuse the pun). It's far more politically prudent for them to belittle pooh pooh, and nay-say him, while at the same time, responding (or appearing to respond) to the publicity around his complaints.

    In the meantime, Ruebel spends years of his life proving that Organized Crime (of some sort) is messing with the LA phone system but gets no compensation for his work, or his lost 'business' (I have a bit less sympathy for the latter).

  • I was in Vegas last month (Score:4, Funny)

    by Anne_Nonymous ( 313852 ) on Friday May 17, 2002 @09:12AM (#3536770) Homepage Journal
    On the wall in my hotel lobby I saw this really cool "AT&T" slot machine with a phone attached. I kept putting in quarters and never won anything or got any money back. Phreakers have obviously hacked the slots too!

  • Why hackers? (Score:2, Troll)

    by edremy ( 36408 )
    Why are they assuming some sort of uber-hackers are doing this? There are a lot of people who could do it better.

    They're called Sprint engineers. Anyone who thinks that every single one of these folks is incorruptable is nuts- an extra $10k here and there and I bet you could get 20% to come to the dark side.

    • Re:Why hackers? (Score:3, Insightful)

      by King_TJ ( 85913 )
      This is exactly the conclusion I came to.
      This smacks of an inside job.... How in the world could they know that test calls were being carried out for several days, and make sure those test calls went through fine? Well, gee... if you're one of the employees, you'd know about it, wouldn't you?

      It's pretty smart on the part of the Sprint employees involved, too. If you pit these shady businesses against each other, ultimately, who is going to care enough to get you in trouble for it? They're probably counting on the majority of people saying "My heart bleeds for you... You can't make millions off of your porn anymore because someone's keeping some of your calls from going through. Cry me a river...." Meanwhile, they're getting a nice kick-back off the top of all those big profits - plus keeping a respectable day job.
  • So he pulls mitnick in on the case?

    What i want to know is how does this guy know mitnick? If he knows one hacker(and a prominent one at that) doesn't it stand to reason that he knows other hackers? I mean you can't just hire mitnick off of hire-a-teleco-hacker.com.

    "As SecurityFocus Online reported last year, former hacker Kevin Mitnick claims extensive penetrations into Sprint's Las Vegas systems from approximately 1992 until his February, 1995 arrest -- smack dab in the middle of the call diversion complaints. Mitnick's access gave him the power to monitor or reprogram any phone line in town. Following that story, Munoz retained Mitnick as a technical consultant in his case, only to give him up later. Munoz says Mitnick wanted to run too many pointless tests; Mitnick says Munoz stiffed him and a partner for thousands of dollars in fees and expenses."

    Who's to say he didn't step on one of his "associates" toes. And a disgrntled hacker decides he's gonna wreck the guys business.

    At the very least his problems wouldn't have ended after he stiffed mitnick for money. it only would have gotten worse. Heck a few phonecall's by mitnick and...BAM...his problem get's worse. I think this guy is full of crap. That's why he didn't want mitnick "to run too many pointless tests". Not to mention who is this guy to know what tests are pointless or not?

    Something is smells Fishy....and it's not just this guys employees....;) LOL

  • Contrast (Score:3, Funny)

    by Snafoo ( 38566 ) on Friday May 17, 2002 @10:21AM (#3537202) Homepage
    In Las Vegas, you might wait for an indefinite amount of time, but you will eventually be able to tell if the person you are calling is home or not.

    In Monte Carlo, you can make the connection immediately, but you might get a spurrious busy signal a certain percent of the time.

  • All Of Your Hookers Are Belong To Us
  • Correct me if I am wrong..

    Didn't Kevin Poulsen orginally get charged with hacking into teleco switches in LasVegas and breakins to telco centers searching for phone manuals?

    and Didn't also several other teleco phone hackers breakin over the past ten years , so much so that every defcon conf in Lasvegas always has teleco cops, fbi, cai, and treausury officials in attendance?

  • uber-hackers? (Score:3, Interesting)

    by _ph1ux_ ( 216706 ) on Friday May 17, 2002 @01:43PM (#3538907)
    uh... no more like uber-sopranos. there have been many stories about this in the past - basically the mob has their people in the phone co - and they hijack calls to businesses (mostly call girls) from the hotels. then re-route the calls to their own call girls and take the business.

    sometimes they dont even hijack the call they just tap it - then when the call girl shows up its too late and the "john" is already being serviced....

    when the people who were losing out in this deal bitched to the fcc? the investigation showed that not a single call was lost. (basically the staff in the phone co were alerted to the investigation and stopped their hijacking while it was going on)

    the thing was that the FCC gave the telco a WEEKS notice that they were going to investigate this... so the word got out and the mob held back.

    this is BS and pisses me off. I would like to take a base-ball bat to the kneecaps of the idiots that gave the telco "notice of impending investigation"

  • Old, old news (Score:2, Interesting)

    by L. VeGas ( 580015 )
    I've lived in Vegas for 38 years off and on (mostly on). I grew up with people that now work for Sprint, and have seen first-hand how the adult industry operates here.

    point 1 - Everyone in the outcall/adult business lies. A lot. About everything. The guy (don't know him) probably snorted all his cash, flaked out, and now wants to blame someone else.

    point 2 - They systems guys at Sprint could easily redirect calls. They have access, and the office people / management don't know the difference. Nobody is paying attention.

    point 3 - uberhackers? get real.

    Could someone have phreaked the phones? -- Of course.

    Did they? -- Who cares?
  • I work for SBC......
    CALEA - www.calea.org - is a federal mandate
    that allows law enforcement to tap phone lines
    remotely. Big Brother is listening in Vagas!!!
  • I saw a few posts talking about Keven Poulsen, and I saw a few posts talking about how certain calls can go through from certain types of phones (ie payphones vs hotel phones vs residential phones report differently through the telco switches - see the post modded 5 near the top), but I haven't seen any posts pointing out the fact that Kevin Poulsen WROTE that article. Take a look at the bottom byline. That, at least for me, lends a little credibility to the idea that it could be a hack-for-hire type operation. Ok later.
    David
  • I remember reading a story in 1998 or 1999 about a 5ESS switch that was stolen from a Vegas wearhouse. I can't find an article backing up my memory so it could be just that.....

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