Re: Anonymous phone calls...

[strick -- henry strickland <strick@versant.com>]

> > bought one of the cards to make phone calls and they traced the calls back 
to 
> > him via the card, since you have to present valid ID to purchase those.

I bought a $10 "U.S. Telecard, Inc." Pre-Paid Phone Card from a vending
machine in the Atlanta Airport two weeks ago.  It has a PIN on the card,
and uses AT&T long distance network.  It's from some company in the
Atlanta Area.  It seems like they had three different companies
named in the recording when you call the 800 customer assistance number --
a real entrepeneur! 

There were some flyers at the vending machine, touting the card's 
features:  mainly, 1. it's easy to use 2. it uses AT&T long dist network.
Privacy or Anonymity was totally unmentioned.  Of course, privacy and
anonymity are not thought of as features with european phone cards,
either.  People buy them because they want to use the phone.

Of course, I blew my anonymity when I tested it, calling my own voicemail.

So give it a try.  Call 1-800-827-9860, PIN 480-500-0400.  For 
international calls, dial 011-county-city-number.  Cool computer
voices.  It has $9.96 left on it.  You can't use "#" on your voicemail,
because that's how you make a new call.

"For additional time or Customer Assistance call 1-800-819-6111".

p.s. these instructions (C) 1994 I.M.C. (US), INC.  Copied without permission.

also.  this card is pretty bland, black on grey.  if they put pretty
pictures of atlanta and 1996 olympic themes on them, they may have something.