German Phone Cards Hacked

[John Young <jya@pipeline.com>]

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 t�l�phoniques

Des pirates informatiques n�erlandais ont inond� le march� allemand avec
des cartes t�l�phoniques recharg�es ill�galement, causant un pr�judice
de plusieurs millions de marks (plusieurs millions de dollars), affirme
l'hebdomadaire Focus � para�tre lundi.

En for�ant le syst�me de codage des cartes t�l�phoniques, les pirates
ont r�ussi � recharger des cartes vid�es de leurs unit�s.

L'association allemande des grossistes et d�bitants de tabac chiffre le
pr�judice � 60 millions de marks (33 millions de dollars), rapporte
Focus.

Les escrocs achetaient des cartes usag�es par milliers aupr�s de
collectionneurs. Leur prix initial de cinq pfennig (2,7 cents) par carte
est de ce fait rapidement mont� � pr�s d'un mark (55 cents).

Selon des experts cit�s par Focus, les cartes recharg�es, que les
pirates revendaient � un moindre prix ou au m�me prix, sont impossibles
� diff�rencier de celles d�ment achet�es.

Les fabricants de cartes entendent stopper ce commerce ill�gal gr�ce �
un nouveau programme informatique (software) permettant de marquer
�lectroniquement les cartes usag�es, croit savoir l'hebdomadaire.