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$$$$$$$$$$$ @@@@@@@@@@ $$$$$$$$$$$ FROM NEW YORK STATE, U. S. A.
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ @@@@@@@@@@ $$$$$$$$$$$ - June, 1993 -
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$$$$$$$$$$$$$@@@@@@@@@@$ SCAM! MAGAZINE xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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$$$$$$$$$$ @@@@@@@@@@ $$$$$$$$$$$ YOUR TRUE ON-LINE SCAM SOURCE!
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VOL 1 NO 1 SCAM! MAGAZINE June 1993 FREE ONLINE!
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LEGALITIES AND DISCLAIMER
"SCAM!" MAGAZINE is published solely for informational and entertainment
purposes. The publishers and authors in no way wish to encourage or promote
unlawful and/or criminal activities of any nature or sort, but merely wish to
furnish the materials contained herein in accordance with the practices and
policies established by the IIRG and pursuant to the Freedom of Information
Act. Local, State and Federal laws provide severe civil and criminal
penalties for unlawful and/or criminal activity which may include fines and/
or imprisonment. The publisher and authors absolve themselves from all
actions, direct or indirect, consequential or inconsequential, resulting from
the readers of this publication. SEE, READ AND UNDERSTAND ALL WARNINGS
CONTAINED HEREIN. THIS MAGAZINE IS AVAILABLE FOR AND ONLY TO BE READ BY
PERSONS OVER THE AGE OF 18 YEARS.
ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE
1. "SCAM!", the Latest Magazine
by The Producer
2. Turn Stamps into Cash!
by The Producer
____________________________________________________________________________
"SCAM!": THE LATEST MAGAZINE!
by The Producer
You've read them all -- on-line magazines purporting to solve the
world's problems, offering you the "latest" techniques in pulling a fast one,
etc. Only problem is, the guy who's telling you how to solve the world's
problems is having a problem paying his rent, and his "latest" techniques were
probably developed and tested while watching "Sonny & Cher" on CBS. Fed up, I
was, reading these antiquated, useless offerings. The time has come, I cried,
to at last furnish the outside world with something new, something refreshing.
Sure, I can't solve the world's problems (and wouldn't want to even
if I could; I seek wealth, not fame), and sure, I can't come up with some of
those complex configurations and schematics like others have done. Yet, how
about offering some very simple, basic suggestions -- for purely informational
purposes only -- to those friendly BBSers? That's when the idea came:
"SCAM!", a fresh magazine not purporting to offer mind-blowing philosophies,
not purporting to change your life from rags to riches, but merely offering
foolproof and proven tips and tricks which are generally simple to understand,
simple to implement, easy to use and fun to try -- I mean, fun to read about.
Anyway, unlike other on-liner mags who give the glory and the
beauty, read a few issues of "SCAM!" and you just might find yourself doing
better off here than with those glamour guys. Please enjoy "SCAM!" and pass
it along to others, as the information contained in "SCAM!" is for the
millions to know.
Post-Script: What if, I thought, you are downloading this sometime
in the year 1997 or 1998 and, being that this issue is brand new as of 1993,
just read my whole speech about magazines being obsolete? Well, that's your
fault, babe -- you should have been smart enough to know where to find this
magazine back in 1993! If you weren't, what the hell can I do about it??!!
Anyway, chances are most of what you'll find in "SCAM!" will be just as
applicable now in 1993 as it will be in the next five or six years, maybe
more. There are so many fools in the country that it will likely take quite
some time for them to "get wise" to some of the "SCAMs" in "SCAM!"
_____________________________________________________________________________
TURN STAMPS INTO CASH!
by The Producer
June, 1993. -- Though the rewards are generally minimal, this little
scheme can, if really done properly, generate thousands of dollars in extra
income just in your spare time. Generally, people think of stamps as
something to lick and paste on envelopes. However, these small square
beauties can be obtained and converted into cash easier than you thought.
First we will discuss how to obtain small quantities of stamps and turn them
into cash. Then, implementing this technique, the discussion shall transcend
into larger quantities of stamps and higher post-conversion revenues.
Getting Small Quantities of Stamps
The best place to find small quantities of stamps is where you work.
Even if your employer uses a Pitney Bowes machine (that's the little gizmo
that imprints in pink the precise amount of the stamp directly on the right
upper corner of the envelope), chances are that he or she STILL has need for
regular stamps. Why? First, they're useful to mail out "self-addressed
stamped envelopes" to business clients, because the Pitney Bowes inkstamps
must have a date pre-written on them and there's no sure way of knowing on
what day the clients will return that envelope. Second, they're a necessity
if the Pitney Bowes malfunctions, or if letters are needed to be mailed at a
time the Pitney Bowes is being brought to the post office for overhaul or
postage add-on. Third, most employers are older and, since you "can't teach
an old dog new tricks", rely on having stamps just because that's what they're
used to relying on. For whatever the reason, these stamps are most likely
available where you work.
Take the time to subtly question fellow employees as to the
whereabouts of the stamps, if you do not already know where they are. When
the opportunity arises, do the necessary and remove them from their
whereabouts, casually tucking them inside your shirt sleeve or jeans pocket,
and bring them home with you. Your employer will never know they're missing
if you remember one thing:
*** SCAM RULE #1: DON'T BE A PIG!! ***
This is EVER so important, and this rule will be quoted many more times in
"SCAM!" One of the most important keys to not being discovered is to not be
greedy. If you want it all, you'll wind up with nothing. The successful
takers are those who take 75% and leave 25% behind. Thus, should you find
$100 worth of stamps in someone's drawer, leave $25.00 and take $75.00. The
75-25 rule, by the way, is a good one to generally go by.
Now, you're saying, "what if I only find $10.00 worth of stamps, what
then? Is all this shit worth it for just $10.00?" No, of course it's not!
What you must then do is go directly to your employer and tell your employer,
"Did you know we only have $10.00 worth of stamps left in the whole office?
We'd better get some more, fast!" Believe me, it won't take long for your
employer to get more in. You might also suggest volunteering to go to the
post office on your lunchhour to pick some more stamps up, taking a business
check with you to do it (we'll discuss more on that later -- be patient!)
Whether your employer gets more stamps himself, sends someone else to the post
office to get them or sends you (the last being the most ideal situation),
either way you'll soon have most likely at least $100 worth of stamps for the
taking.
*** SCAM! SUGGESTION: ***
Find friends who have access to stamps where they
work, and tell them you can get them 50 cents for every
dollar's worth of stamps they get you. Most persons
will jump at that offer, and you can obtain slightly
larger quantities that way. NOTE: First try doing
this whole thing on your own, alone, until you get the
hang of it and feel comfortable.
You've Got the Stamps, Now What?
Now, you're pretty much home free with easy cash in your pocket,
that's what!! Here's the deal: You sell them back to the post office.
The U. S. Post Office currently has a regulation that prohibits
acceptance of loose stamps, for health reasons. The theory is that the
original purchaser of the stamps might have placed their tongue on them, or
placed the stamps in some unsanitary area. That being the case, the stamps
being returned would then be headed for re-sale and would pose a "health risk"
to potential buyers. Somewhat farfetched, I know, but that IS the law. The
loophole is this: the Post Office CAN, however, accept for refund stamps that
are in a SEALED CONTAINER. Have you ever gone to the post office to buy 29-
cent stamps in a roll of 100? You will note that these stamp rolls are sealed
in plastic. Were you to purchase a roll of 100 stamps for $29.00 and go back
to the post office saying you really didn't need it and could you get the
money back, since the stamps were in a sealed container they WILL give you
back $29.00 in cash for the roll.
This loophole is very important, and is the crux of how to turn
stamps back into cash. The loophole, however, is a generally objective one;
that is, the post office is compelled by law to conform with these Federal
regulations, but doesn't always. The post office is afforded a great deal of
lattitude even though the regulations very specifically state what to do and
what not to do. Here is a brief summary of what is meant by this:
1. The post office will GENERALLY take back stamps in sealed,
plastic containers for refund.
2. The post office will GENERALLY refund you the full face value of
the returned, sealed stamps.
3. The post office is NOT OBLIGATED BY LAW to take back stamps in
sealed, plastic containers for refund.
4. The post office is NOT OBLIGATED BY LAW to refund you for ANY
stamps at ANY time.
5. The post office will almost NEVER refund you cash for ANY stamps
that are not in sealed containers.
Changing Loose Stamps into Sealed Rolls
The only slightly irritating part in this -- and it's not hard, it
only requires you making about 15-20 telephone calls or so: Find a post
office that will convert the loose stamps you have into sealed rolls of 29-
cent stamps. Remember, you can ONLY get refunds on sealed stamps and, to the
author's knowledge, the only stamps that are sealed are 29-cent stamps. Thus,
regardless what denomination stamps you have, be they 23-cent stamps, 2-cent
stamps or $1-stamps, you must try to convert them all into 29-cent stamps,
preferably 29-cent sealed rolls. The sealed rolls come in quantities of 100
and 500, costing $29.00 and $145.00 respectively at the post office window.
By trial and error -- and believe me, this is NOT difficult --you
must call post offices and say the following:
"Excuse me, but I have about ($50.00 worth of 23-cent stamps)
and they're really useless to me. I need 29-cent stamps. Could I
possibly come down sometime tomorrow afternoon and could you exchange
them for me?"
Mention nothing about rolls, sealed or unsealed. Generally, you will hear
something like the following:
"I'm sorry, but by Federal law we are prohibited from taking
back any loose stamps. Unfortunately, there's nothing you can do."
To this, you merely say, "Thank you for your help," hang up, and call the next
post office. I can ASSURE you that you will eventually find some post office
that will do this for you; it is NOT difficult to do, but don't get
discouraged by unsuccessful attempts and TOTALLY disregard statements from any
post office worker that this cannot be done; remember, these are post office
workers you're talking to, not brain surgeons! Also remember SCAM! rule #2:
*** SCAM! RULE #2: 99% of people in ANY line of business
have NO idea what the fuck they're doing! ***
*** SCAM! SUGGESTION ***
Small post offices in rural areas will generally
be more willing to accomodate you; large post
offices in big cities will be more apt to enforce
the no-exchange policy and will be useless to you.
One VERY important point is: after you've located a post office
willing to do the exchange, be CERTAIN to ask for the first name of the person
you spoke with (don't ask their last name, because this is too formal and
looks too conspicuous; remember, you want to be on a friendly level with this
person, who's doing you a nice favor). Also, make CERTAIN that this person
will be working at the time you actually go down for the conversion. If you
do not do this, you may be very disappointed to find that another clerk in the
same post office will deny your request, which can be quite irritating if
you've driven ten or twenty extra miles to that out-of-town post office.
Merely inquire of this person if he or she will be in on the day you expect to
drop by; if not, merely ask when he or she will be working next. This is not
an unusual question to ask, and you won't be looked at twice for asking it, so
don't worry; just ask.
20-Quantity Booklets for $5.80
Now, suppose you have $105.00 worth of stamps. $105.00 doesn't
mathematically divide evenly into $29.00, so then what? Simple: Take the
$105.00 worth of stamps into the found post office with you. Ask your contact
(the post office employee who promised he or she would do the exchange) to
give you three 100 rolls of 29-cent stamps (that's 300 29-cent stamps, but in
sealed rolls, mind you), which of course is worth $87.00 ($29 X 3). However,
you brought them $105 worth of stamps and now have $18 left. What do you do
with the remaining $18 worth of stamps? Well, the post office also puts out
booklets/packets of twenty 29-cent stamps, running 20 X $0.29 or $5.80 each.
You would request three of these booklets, or $17.40 worth ($5.80 X 3 =
$17.40). So, with your $105.00 in loose stamps you now have three 100-
quantity, sealed rolls of 29-cent stamps and three 20-quantity booklets of 29-
cent stamps, and 60 cents left over ($105.00 - $87.00 - $17.40 = $0.60). Take
the 60 cents worth of stamps and just use it to mail something out; there's
nothing you can do with it, unless you want to accumulate these small
remainders for the next time you try to pull this off. Anyway, the 60 cents
isn't important because, remember:
*** SCAM RULE #1: DON'T BE A PIG! ***
What To Do With Loose 29-Cent Stamps
What if the stamps you have are loose, 29-cent stamps? Then, what?
What logical reason could you give the post office for exchanging these loose
stamps into sealed 29-cent stamps? Simple: The sealed stamps come in rolls
... that's the whole key! There are small plastic holders you can buy that
these stamp rolls fit into, which dispense the stamps one by one. Tell the
post office you have these extra loose stamps which are a pain-in-the-ass to
use because you have a stamp dispenser at work and you can't load them into
it; tell them that you need the sealed rolls instead.
Converting the Rolls into Cash
You're only one short step away from cash-in-your-pocket now. You
have come into the post office with useless, loose stamps, most likely in
varying denominations, and have now left the post office with fresh, sealed,
29-cent rolls and possibly some 29-cent booklets too. Simply now go home and
call up some more post offices, telling them the following if, for example,
you have three sealed rolls ready to be "cashed in":
"Excuse me, but a few days ago I purchased six rolls of 29-cent
stamps, but I think I bought too many and I was wondering if I could
bring back two or three rolls."
What you generally will hear is this:
"I'm sorry, but the post office cannot give you money back for
stamps you bought."
Try just a few more times, and you'll find a post office GLAD to accomodate
you. Some things to note: Rest easy, for it is more time-consuming to find a
post office willing to exchange loose stamps for sealed stamps than it is to
find a post office willing to refund you; again, this part is MUCH easier, and
it will probably take you only four or five phone calls to find an
accomodating post office. Secondly, if a post office tells you they'll only
refund you 80 cents on the dollar or something like that, tell them to SCREW
OFF and take your precious business elsewhere!! This scheme is belittling and
insulting, and there is NO NEED for you to settle on anything less than the
FULL face value of your sealed rolls.
Remember, again, to get only the first name of the person you spoke
to and make sure he or she is working at the time you go in to give the sealed
stamp rolls and get the cash.
*** SCAM! SUGGESTION ***
You will have a much better chance of finding a
post office to give you a refund if, when calling, you
tell the post office that you live in the city the
post office serves; that you purchased the stamps for
business purposes (if asked, say you do business out
of your home); and that you actually purchased the
stamps from that very post office. If asked by whom
or what the clerk looked like, merely state that you
personally didn't purchase them but rather had one of
your employees go down to buy them.
Don't be squeamish about producing your drivers license for the
refund; 95% of the time it's not required and, on the 5% of the time it is
required, the license is generally just glanced at by the flea-brained postal
clerk and nothing is jotted down. Even if your license number were to be
taken down, it STILL is garbage because remember, you're simply providing real
stamps to the post office for real money. You're breaking no laws, and
there's nothing to be concerned or scared about.
*** SCAM! SUGGESTION ***
When going down to the post office for exchange
or refund (step 1 or step 2 as set forth above), use
your brain: If you're in a big-city post office
where most office workers would be dressed with a
shirt and tie, wear a shirt and tie when you go down.
If you're in a rural area, dress rurally. That is,
make sure to blend in and give the necessary
appearance. Though this not essential, it will
certainly make your goings-on easier.
*** SCAM! SUGGESTION ***
If you go down to the post office and they give
you a hard time about anything, BE INSULTED!! After
all, you are a post office customer who was promised
something over the phone and is now being denied it.
Of course, don't go haywire and get crazy; just act
offended in a slightly above-average way and this
will sometimes assist you in getting what you want.
Remember, even if you must leave with nothing
accomplished, there exists an alternate post office
that WILL accomodate you.
What to Do With the $5.80 Booklets
You've now converted the sealed rolls back into cash, and have no
doubt pocketed maybe $100 or $200, more even if you work for a large company
or get friends to get you stamps. But what about those $5.80 packets?
Generally, these will not be accepted for cash refund by the post
office because they are not sealed and to do so would be in violation of the
health code provision (see above). However, these packets are still of value.
For example, locate a pharmacy or convenience store near you that sells
packets of stamps as a courtesy to customers. Develop a rapport with the
owner or cashier at the store, and ask if it would be alright to give him or
her a few packets of stamps in return for something in the store, telling this
person that you had gone to the post office and bought more stamps than you
really needed.
For example, if you wanted to purchase a carton of cigarettes for
$20.00, you might instead offer three packets of stamps ($17.40) and $2.60 in
cash for the cigs. You would be surprised, but many storeowners are willing
to accomodate because their policy of selling stamps was initialized solely to
make their customers feel more at home. By doing a "barter trade" with you,
which this essentially is, they're making you feel at home and thus
accomplishing their very goal; in a different sort of way, mind you, but
they're still accomplishing it. To them, that's all that matters.
Summary of Key Points So Far
I. Get loose stamps from work and have friends you know do the same,
offering them 50 cents on the dollar for their acquisitions.
II. Find a post office to do the conversion from loose stamps to
sealed ones, as described above. Get (1) the maximum number of
$29.00 sealed rolls you can, and then (2) get the maximum number
of $5.80 packets you can, and then (3) use any remainder (35
cents, 41 cents, 60 cents, etc.) as regular stamps for yourself.
III. Find another post office to convert sealed rolls into cash, and
do not accept anything less than full face value of the rolls.
IV. Find a store to barter the packets away for convenience items
such as food, cigarettes, etc.
*** SCAM! SUGGESTION ***
If you are dealing with a quantity of $300 or more worth of
stamps for conversion, find out if the post office has sealed 500-
quantity rolls instead of the traditional 100-quantity. When you
call up the post office and say you bought "one roll too many", the
clerk will think it's just a 100-quantity roll by default, not
anticipating the larger, 500-quantity roll. Thus, you might be able
to obtain a larger amount of cash more easily.
*** SCAM! SUGGESTION ***
If you have 20 sealed rolls to convert into cash, don't barge
into one post office and claim you bought 20 rolls too many! Rather,
go to six or seven post offices and tell each of them you bought
three or four rolls too many. Be real, NO ONE in their right mind
would actually believe you overbought TWENTY rolls of stamps (that's
2,000 stamps!)
Larger Quantities of Stamps: Deriving Potentially Unlimited Profits
So far, I've elaborated the basics when dealing with stamps from
work, stamps from friends, etc. All well and good, but we're only talking
about $100, $200, maybe $500 tops in all likelihood, right? (although it must
be said that once a small envelope containing a mere $638 in stamps was
found!) Anyway, it's still little-league stuff. You do want the thousands of
dollars, don't you? You do want to play in the majors, don't you? Well, some
good news and some bad news, my fellos SCAM!mers: The good news is, you can
do it! The bad news is, it's riskier -- VERY riskier. Whether you want to
attempt it or not is up to you. Personally, I strongly advise against it
unless there is some life-threatening emergency such as mother in the
hospital, imminent eviction, car radio not working right, etc. For
information purposes, there are two techniques, as follows:
Method I: Company Checks for Stamps
Please remember earlier that I mentioned the best scenario is for you
to get your employer to give you a company check and have you go down to the
post office and purchase stamps yourself. This is true because you will get
the experience of going down and buying stamps for a company, namely, the
company you work for. This experience will make you less apprehensive when
you do it for a NON-EXISTANT company!!
Essentially, the post office treats business checks like gold. If
you were to go to a post office and give them your personal check and ask for
$5 worth of stamps, you can best believe you will be asked to produce
identification up to your ass. But, give the post office a business check and
ask for $150 worth of stamps, and they won't bat an eyelid.
Knowing this, you must create checks that have a fictitious company
name and address. Choose an address that is in a small city that has many
neighboring cities, not necessarily small ones. You will essentially make the
rounds from post office to post office within a 10- or 20-mile radius of the
address you've printed on the check, purchasing sealed rolls at each post
office.
In elementary-school-like handwriting, make each business check out
in advance, payable to the postmaster. For example: if you were producing a
business check at a post office in Cleveland, Ohio (which for the life of me I
don't know why anyone would go to Cleveland, even to do this!), you would use
your poorest handwriting and, in pen, make the check payable to "POSTMASTER
-CLEVELAND POST OFFICE" --exactly like that. Then, in a completely different,
barely legible handwriting and preferably with a different-colored, medium-
point "Flare" or something like that, sign a fictitious name on the signature
line. Why the two handwriting styles? Simple: Most corporate officers have
their secretaries fill out the checks; then, the officers sign them. The
secretaries' handwriting is generally poor; the corporate officers' signatures
are usually barely legible and often are written on medium-point Flare's, or
the equivalent.
*** SCAM! SUGGESTION ***
If you're ambidextrous, use one hand to make out the check and
use the other hand to sign it. If you're not ambidextrous,
you should make it a practice of learning how to be. It IS
possible to become ambidextrous in ONE MONTH.
Make each check out for not more than $200, as eyebrows may be
raised. In fact, since you now know that sealed rolls will make your life
easier, I would suggest making each check out for exactly $145, or 5 sealed
29-cent rolls of 100. Five is an even, inconspicuous number. You could of
course try for six rolls, which would be $174 and still under $200, but
remember:
*** SCAM! RULE #1: DON'T BE A PIG!! ***
By producing, say, 20 checks from the same fictitious business at 20
different post offices (and, with the proper road maps you can EASILY cover 20
post offices in one day), you would receive $145 in stamps from each post
office, or $2,900 in stamps!! Not bad, huh? Now, applying the techniques set
forth in the small-scale operation above, find different post offices to do
the conversion from sealed rolls to cash. This simple operation can net you
almost THREE THOUSAND DOLLARS in TWO working days. NOTE: First read and
understand ALL warnings below pertaining to BOTH large-scale methods.
*** SCAM! SUGGESTION ***
In the large-scale operation, when choosing post offices to
convert the sealed rolls into cash, choose post offices in
a different State.
WARNING: DO NOT produce phony business checks unless you are
ABSOLUTELY sure how to do so!
[What? You don't know how to make phony business checks? I'm
SHOCKED! It's SO easy! Sorry, but we have to keep you on your toes guessing
somehow ... if you don't know how to do this, the technique will be described
in a forthcoming edition of SCAM! Again, sorry about this, but if all the
cards were laid out on the table now, there'd be no reason for future issues
of this magazine!!!]
Method II: Ordering Stamps by Mail
The post office has a great new gimmick whereby you can order stamps
right in the mail, without ever having to go to the post office to pick them
up. Essentially tailor-made for this scam, it works like this:
You can obtain a form at ANY post office to do this. Merely ask your
postal clerk for an ordering-stamps-by-mail form or locate the form at the
post office desk and take one or two (or fifty) home with you. They're free.
On the form you will find various denominations of stamps you can order (10-
cent, 23-cent, 29-cent, $1 stamps, etc.), and you can fill out exactly how
many you want of each. You enclose your personal OR business check payable to
the Postmaster of that branch (as described above) and receive the stamps very
shortly thereafter. Here, no ID is needed regardless of whether you furnish
an individual OR a business check, however duplicated real business checks are
preferred (how to make duplicated real business checks will also be discussed
in forthcoming issues, if you don't know how to do this).
In this method, issue 50 duplicated real business checks to 50 post
offices, for example (I say 50 for simplicity purposes and because there's no
legwork; unlike Method I, you don't have to do any travelling; the post office
just mails them in to you). On the form, request five, 29-cent rolls of 100
stamps each, as these sealed rolls are most convenient for refund purposes.
Do NOT request more than $200 worth of stamps on each form for, if
you do, the stamps will be delivered to you certified mail return receipt
requested at the address you provide. You do not want this. If something is
sent to you certified mail RRR, you must present identification to receive it;
you must sign for it; and you must be physically present to collect the
stamps. So, if you again order $145 from each post office, it will be under
the $200 threshold and the stamps will be mailed to you via regular mail,
bypassing the certified entanglements. I won't quote SCAM! Rule #1 again, I
think you have the gist by now; you would still net over SEVEN THOUSAND
DOLLARS with 50 mailings, certainly a far cry from the $100 worth of stamps
you took from work.
Where to have the stamps mailed to, you ask? Clearly, do not give
your home address! Also do not give the address of any friends or employers
or anyone you've ever known in your lifetime or any past lifetime; rather, use
a known abandoned house or a private mailbox facility. Readers of "SCAM!"
will find, in forthcoming issues, a detailed discussion on the theory of
private mailbox facilities and how they can be used to generate goods,
services and liquid assets from a vast array of sources.
WARNING: Do NOT attempt to use one of these mailbox facilities under
a fictitious individual or company name if you do not now know precisely how
to do so. This topic will be covered at length in future "SCAM!" issues, so
please be patient.
WARNING: Do NOT attempt to furnish duplicate real business checks if
you do not know precisely how to do so. This topic will be covered at length
in future "SCAM!" issues, so please be patient.
WARNING: When doing large-scale conversions, it is most wise to
travel by car to distant sections of the U. S. to obtain the refunds. Do NOT
attempt to obtain refunds in the city or State that you chose to obtain the
stamps! Do NOT attempt to obtain refunds after more than TWO WEEKS from the
time you obtain the stamps, simply because the business checks you issued will
eventually clear and be deemed fraudulent by the business.
*** SCAM SUGGESTION ***
If travelling throughout the U. S. by car with large quantities of
stamps in your vehicle, or for that matter ANYTHING in your vehicle
which really shouldn't be there, it is INSANE to drive any faster
than FIVE MPH over the posted speed limit and it is INSANE to
purposefully violate any local traffic laws, codes or ordinances no
matter HOW sure you are that you can get away with it.
*** SCAM SUGGESTION **
NEVER bring large quantities of stamps aboard a commercial aircraft,
into an airline terminal, aboard a bus or in a bus station. NEVER
bring large quantities of stamps through customs. Re-sale of U. S.
stamps in Canada is possible, but should only be attempted by
placing all of the stamps into one sturdy envelope and MAILING them
into Canada, preferably via Federal Express Overnight Delivery. The
cost of such a mailing is only about $25, which is well worth it.
WARNING: Do NOT mail U. S. stamps abroad to a location you have not
thoroughly investigated. Know what you intend to do with the stamps when they
arrive, plan ahead and avoid last-minute decisionmaking at ALL costs. If
ANYTHING unforeseen occurs, abandon the project post haste.
Epilogue
Well, hopefully now you have discovered the potentially unlimited
rewards of "stamp collecting"!!????!! Happy exchanges, happy conversions,
etc., but remember: don't do the crime if you can't do the time!
Happy Scams!
*
WARNING: THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS THEORIZED ON PRINCIPLES OF
CRIMINAL MISCHIEF, ROBBERY, PURPOSEFUL ISSUANCE OF FRAUDULENT CHECKS AND/OR
THE UNLAWFUL OBTAINMENT OF U. S. POSTAGE STAMPS. TO ACTUALLY ENGAGE IN SUCH
BEHAVIOR WOULD BE IN VIOLATION OF THE CRIMINAL PROCEDURE LAW(S) AND/OR PENAL
CODE(S) OF YOUR STATE OF RESIDENCE IN TERMS OF CRIMINAL MISCHIEF, ROBBERY AND
THE ISSUANCE OF "BAD" CHECKS AND, AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL, WOULD VIOLATE A
VARIETY OF RULES AND REGULATIONS CONTAINED IN AND MADE A PART OF THE UNITED
STATES CODE, WHICH CODE IS AVAILABLE FOR INSPECTION AND WHICH RULES AND
REGULATIONS CAN BE VIEWED MORE FULLY SET FORTH AT YOUR LOCAL LAW LIBRARY.
ISSUANCE OF FRAUDULENT CHECKS IS A FELONY PUNISHABLE BY A MAXIMUM OF 15 YEARS
IMPRISONMENT IF CONVICTED, AND FEDERAL LAWS GENERALLY PROVIDE STIFFER
PENALTIES. THIS INFORMATION IS BEING FURNISHED PURELY FOR INFORMATIONAL AND
ENTERTAINMENT PURPOSES ONLY. ACTING UPON IT SHOULD NEVER BE ATTEMPTED AT ANY
TIME OR FOR ANY REASON. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT PROVIDES NUMEROUS PROGRAMS AND
RESOURCES TO ASSIST YOU IF YOU ARE IN FINANCIAL HARDSHIP, AS DOES YOUR STATE
OF RESIDENCE. THE AUTHOR OF THIS PUBLICATION IN NO WAY CONDONES ANY TYPE OF
ILLEGAL ACTIVITY OR BEHAVIOR AND HAS NEVER ENGAGED IN ANY TYPE OF ILLEGAL
ACTIVITY OR BEHAVIOR AT ANY TIME OR FOR ANY REASON OR AS MAY BE SUGGESTED,
INFERRED OR OTHERWISE IMPLIED FROM THE CONTENTS OF THIS PUBLICATION.
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----------------------------------------------------------------------------
VOL 1 NO 2 SCAM! MAGAZINE July 1993 FREE ONLINE!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
LEGALITIES AND DISCLAIMER
"SCAM!" MAGAZINE is published solely for informational and entertainment
purposes. The publishers and authors in no way wish to encourage or promote
unlawful and/or criminal activities of any nature or sort, but merely wish to
furnish the materials contained herein in accordance with the practices and
policies established by the IIRG and pursuant to the Freedom of Information
Act. Local, State and Federal laws provide severe civil and criminal
penalties for unlawful and/or criminal activity which may include fines and/
or imprisonment. The publisher and authors absolve themselves from any and
all actions, direct or indirect, consequential or inconsequential, resulting
from the readers of this publication. The publisher and authors are not and
at no time have been affiliated in any manner with any law enforcement agency
in any State or Territory of the United States of America. This magazine and
its contents may be reproduced and uploaded without the permission of the
publisher and authors, but may not be modified in any manner. The publisher
and authors assume no responsibility or liability for such unauthorized
modifications, and shall seek appropriate restitution. SEE, READ AND
UNDERSTAND ANY AND ALL WARNINGS CONTAINED HEREIN. THIS MAGAZINE IS AVAILABLE
FOR AND ONLY TO BE READ BY PERSONS OVER THE AGE OF 18 YEARS.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE
1. Transferring Sensitive Materials BBS-to-BBS Without Liability
by The Producer
2. CBI Social Security Guide
by CBI (who else!)
reprinted without permission by The Producer
3. The Social Security Number
by Barbara Bennett (whoever the hell she is)
reprinted without permission by The Producer
4. Using Daniel J. Karnes' "Credit Card Verifier"
article by The Producer
executable program by Daniel J. Karnes
[COMPLETE EXECUTABLE PROGRAM ANNEXED!]
5. The Right to Privacy
by The Producer
6. Police Interrogation Techniques
by ???
7. "SCAM!" CLASSIFIED ADS
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
SCAM!
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
EDITOR'S NOTE: Just before getting this edition ready for press, THE
PRODUCER received a particular phone call which, for reasons that cannot now
be disclosed, has essentially required omitting the article which originally
was scheduled to appear as No. 6 in this issue; "Police Interrogation
Techniques", not scheduled to appear yet, will now be No. 6. Hopefully the
original No. 6 article will appear in some later issue, however it can't now.
Such is life in the democratic paradise we live in.
_____________________________________________________________________________
"TRANSFERRING SENSITIVE MATERIALS BBS-TO-BBS WITHOUT LIABILITY"
by The Producer
July, 1993. -- Hey, dudes, it's July! ... the '4th, fireworks,
beaches, naked women, etc. ENJOY! Meanwhile, here's what I hope is a great
new idea on how to get certain files where you want them when you want them,
without stepping on anyone's toes. Permit me to elaborate, will you? ...
Let's say you just hacked a valid account number and password code on
a particular system, and want to trade it for something your confidant in
Seattle has available. What are your choices? (1) hop the earliest flight to
Seattle, meet him and exchange the info (cost: about $750; with coffee and
donuts at the airport, add $50); OR, (2) use the "SCAM!" in this article --
it's SURE to work every time!! Here's how it goes:
Encrypting the Sensitive Data
Say your "meeting place", or favorite "e-mail" sending-and-receiving
zone, is a BBS that won't permit stuff like passwords, codes, etc. to be posted
or uploaded -- yet, you have to get the exchange made! So what to do? First,
place the data in a file of your choice, and then "zip" the file USING PKZIP
ENCRYPTION. Here is an example of how to zip all the files in your directory
c:\work into an encrypted zip file called "TEST.ZIP":
pkzip -s test.zip c:\work\*.*
*** "SCAM!" SUGGESTION: ***
Personally, I always prefer to also use PKZip's
"extra compression" feature. Simply put, it takes
just a BIT longer, but produces a zip file that is
CONSIDERABLY smaller. To make a regular, unencrypted
(traditional) zip file, you would use the command:
pkzip -ex test.zip c:\work\*.*
Now to make an ENCRYPTED file with extra compression,
just add the "s", as follows:
pkzip -exs test.zip c:\work\*.*
You don't HAVE to use the extra compression feature,
but it's there for the taking and it CERTAINLY would
be appreciated by those who download your file. (By
the way, you unzip regular and extra-compressed zip
files in precisely the same manner.)
Sysops on "fine-line" BBS's, which do not permit posting of passwords
and/or codes, will blatantly not allow unencrypted zip files containing such
data to be uploaded and, as it IS their board, their requests must be
respected. Clearly these Sysops do not wish to become entangled with the law
and, simply put, they would be indirectly liable for having such files uploaded
and available for download on their BBS. However, here is the whole catch:
were an ENCRYPTED zip file to be uploaded, would the Sysop be responsible for
knowing its contents? NO WAY!
Get Sysop's Permission!
Be sure to get on a PRIVATE chat with the Sysop and tell him what you
plan on doing; it's not nice to do it without asking permission first, plus
chances are you won't be able to get any further without his permission anyway.
The Sysop will generally allow you to upload encrypted files because, as said
above, he is not legally liable for the contents. Additionally, it is
IMPOSSIBLE to decipher the contents of an encrypted zip file without knowing
the "key" (more on that later, be patient!) Since the Sysop will NOT have the
key (just the file), he would have no way of knowing what the contents of the
encrypted zip file was; thus, he is legally AND morally FREE AND CLEAR. But,
again ... you must STILL get his permission first. So, do so.
Once you have obtained the Sysop's consent, upload the encrypted file
onto his BBS. You're half-way home since the data is now available for modem
download, even if it is in encrypted form. Now, all that's left is figuring
out how only YOU and YOUR SEATTLE FRIEND can decrypt that file, without ANYONE
else being able to. Relax, that's a piece of cake, my fellow "SCAM!"mers ...
Making the Key
When you encrypt the file using the command line set forth above, the
PKZip program will prompt you for a key ("Password"). This key can be anything
you want it to be; any combination of letters, numbers, symbols, etc. Note
that the key IS case sensitive; thus, 161abb and 161aBb are NOT the same keys.
When encrypting a file using PKZIP encryption techniques, I strongly suggest
using ONLY keys that are TEN CHARACTERS LONG, composed of one or more of a
combination of any of the following:
abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
1234567890!@#$%^&*()-+=\/?<>.,:;"[]{}
Such encryption is HACK-PROOF. Decrypting a PKZIP file with a case-sensitive,
10-character encryption key of the type set forth above, where the key is not
known, would require over 2,000,000 CENTURIES on a 486 (this estimate was given
by PKWare, the makers of PKZIP, so I really don't think you have much to worry
about!) Note that the fewer characters in your key, the less time it will take
for the key to be hacked; so, use TEN-CHARACTER KEYS! Note also that you MAY
use keys that contain ANSI symbols not found on the ordinary keyboard, but WHY
DO THIS? It's generally a pain in the ass, and it is MUCH easier to unlock
encrypted files when keys are composed of the traditional choices set forth
above. Again, with TEN-CHARACTER KEYS, do NOT worry about anyone hacking it;
it WON'T HAPPEN!
*** "SCAM!" SUGGESTION: ***
Please do NOT use keys that form words; e.g. the key
"UNZIP123" is TERRIBLE to use; rather, the key 5tY@@pxA\
would be EXCELLENT!
*** "SCAM!" SUGGESTION: ***
Keep a hidden written copy of the key for yourself
because, if you lose it, believe me you'll NEVER gain access
to the file again for as long as you live ... and neither
will your great-grandchildren!
Depositing the Key
Since the only way to decrypt the file is with the key, and since up
to this point the only one with the key is you, it is now necessary to get this
key to your friend in Seattle so that he can call the BBS on which you uploaded
the encrypted file, download the file, and decrypt it with the key. To get the
key to your friend, do the following:
While in chat mode with your friend in Seattle, arbitrarily choose a
SECOND BBS that both of you call. The beauty here is that this second BBS may
be a conservative BBS that only has shareware stuff, games, etc. -- a BBS that
would NEVER be suspected for transmitting illegal data! Be sure that this
second BBS, however, has a PRIVATE message base. Merely tell your friend in
Seattle that you will leave him a private message on this second BBS; the only
thing is, the message IS the key!!! What could be easier?
Telling the Sysop of the Second BBS
It's up to you whether you want to let the Sysop of the second BBS
know what you're up to. Personally, I would not suggest it. Firstly, Sysops
of BBS's that have shareware and games generally don't want ANYTHING to do with
such activities, and would not permit such messages to be posted even if they
were private messages. Secondly, here is a way to post the "key" message
without it looking like a key:
For example, say the key to the decrypted file was:
Idtr2t@tst
Instead of posting a private message stating merely "Idtr2t@tst", which would
really look VERY conspicuous (!!), why not try the following instead:
"It's difficult to read 2 things @ the same time."
Have you caught on yet? The FIRST letter in each word of the message is a
character in the key!:
"It's difficult to read 2 things @ the same time."
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ = Idtr2t@tst
Thus, the message LOOKS legit; the Sysop of the second BBS will THINK it's
legit; but in reality, IT'S THE KEY!! Who would ever dream it?!!
Summary
The Sysop of the BBS on which you uploaded the encrypted file will not
be legally liable for anything because he has no possible way of knowing what
the contents of the encrypted file could be, because he does not have the key
to decrypt it. Other people can download the file, but it will be useless to
them without the key. Hacking the key, if it is 10 characters long, is futile.
The Sysop of the second BBS, on which the key is posted in a private
message base, will not be legally liable for anything because the key itself,
even if written directly, has no meaning. It is clearly not unlawful for
anyone to post any combination of characters, lacking meaning, onto a message
base. Especially if the message were to be transferred into a simple sentence,
as in the technique described above, the Sysop would suffer no legal
consequence.
Thus you have now seen the procedure for transferring sensitive data
from your modem to another's modem, without permitting anyone else to access
the file.
*** SCAM! SUGGESTION ***
This technique works great when transferring
registered software, too. Use the exact same
methodology described above; however, instead of the
encrypted zip file containing passwords, codes or
other data, it will actually contain an encrypted
version of the program.
*** SCAM! SUGGESTION ***
For ARJ die-hards, it IS possible to use this
same methodology using ARJ encryption (it's "G" on
the command line for "<G>arble With Password").
However, note that I have no stats on how long it
takes to hack an ARJ key and so, if you really
want to use ARJ instead of ZIP, you're on your own!
_____________________________________________________________________________
"CBI SOCIAL SECURITY GUIDE"
by CBI and The Producer
July, 1993. -- CBI, as you probably know, is one of the country's
largest credit reporting bureaus with nationwide dial-in capability just like
TRW, Trans Union, etc. Providing the name, address, date of birth etc. is
generally sufficient to get information on the individual's credit history.
Many articles have been published regarding techniques to obtain accounts and
passwords to this system, and I will not comment on their validity here.
However, this article will merely focus on something called "DTEC", which I
believe most readers are not aware of.
"DTEC" is an extremely powerful social security number search tool
which resides on CBI systems. When properly accessed, it can provide a wealth
of information on any individual solely based upon his or her social security
number alone. The number is merely entered, and the information is spewed out.
"DTEC" is only available to those CBI'ers who qualify and subscribe for the
service. If you are fortunate enough to be able to access CBI -- and I'll
discuss that next -- you may also gain "DTEC" capability too.
Obtaining a CBI Account from CBI
CBI has its New England base located in Connecticut. If you call
about obtaining an account from them, you will be happy to learn that the
charge is minimal (about $50 per month); however, there are two catches:
First, you must have a legitimate reason for running credit reports.
This is easily solved: just tell them you are a mortgage broker and, if they
ask for a copy of your license, do the following: (1) go to some real mortgage
broker's office, say you're interested in a loan and ask for a copy of their
license; then (2) go to your nearest copy store, use the necessary White-Out
and do the necessary other things to alter this document to fit your fictitious
company. CBI will accept a COPY of your broker's license, so don't worry if
you wind up printing your pseudo-license on regular 8 1/2 x 11, it won't
matter.
As I said, this first part is easily solved. However, CBI's second
requirement isn't so easy: they require an ON-SITE INSPECTION of your
"office"!! Whoa! Many mortgage brokers DO operate out of their home, but of
course you don't want to give your real name or address EVER! I guess the only
way to get around this is to use one of those "office-for-a-day" places that
rent office space, an imitation secretary, etc. This can, of course, be quite
costly ($100's).
*** SCAM! SUGGESTION ***
Should you actually wind up seeking a direct account
from CBI (can't imagine why you'd want to, $-wise), and
should CBI ask to see an ORIGINAL copy of your mortgage
broker's license, just tell them your attorney told you
it's on file with the Secretary of State. They'll buy it.
You most likely won't want to get a direct account from CBI and will,
instead, find yourself perusing amongst the potpourri of offerings on how to
hack such accounts and passwords. Sorry, my friends, but so it goes.
More on "DTEC"
Anyway, once you've obtained an account and password somehow, you will
want to know how to use "DTEC", which CBI won't tell you about! What I will
now include are the complete, unedited texts of two (2) actual CBI user guides
on "DTEC". NOTE: These guides were designed for CBI users in South Florida,
however the principles are just as applicable here up north. As to references
to "Dade" and "Broward" within the text, Dade and Broward are county names in
South Florida; for example, Miami is in Dade County and Ft. Lauderdale is in
Broward, if you didn't know. Now, here are the unedited "DTEC" texts, pieced
together:
DTEC
* Sign on as usual
* After "PROCEED" appears, enter: DTEC-Social Security Number
Example: DTEC-123-45-6789
* Output appears: either up 4 ID-only multiples
or a NO RECORD message.
EXAMPLES:
----------------------------------------------------------------------
A. DTEC-123-45-6789
M1 of 2 NM-SMITH,DAN CA-123,MAIN,ST,ATL,GA
FA-321, N1AM, ST, ATL, GA SS-123-45-6789 AGE 40
M2 of 2 NM-BRYANT,JIM CA-789,GRAD,ST,MIA,FL
ES-TIRE MAN, TIRE CO. SS-123-45-6789 AGE 50
END OF REPORT CBI AND AFFILIATES - 2/2/87
----------------------------------------------------------------------
B. DTEC-123-45-6789
******************************************************************
IS SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER A TYPO ERROR? IF NOT SOCIAL SECURITY
NUMBER OUT OF RANGE
******************************************************************
M1 of 1 NM-RANGE,SOCIAL CA-111,NORTH,RD,ATL,GA
SS-123-45-6789
END OF REPORT CBI AND AFFILIATES - 2/2/87
----------------------------------------------------------------------
C. DTEC-123-45-6789
******************************************************************
IS SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER A TYPO ERROR? IF NOT SOCIAL SECURITY
NUMBER REPORTED MISUSED
******************************************************************
M1 of 1 NM-SOCIAL,DON CA-2355,SINGLE,RD,ATL,GA
SS-123-45-6789&
M2 of 2 NM-SOCIAL,ALICE CA-166,PINES,DR,ATL,GA
SS-123-45-6789&
M3 of 3 NM-SOCIAL,DON CA-534,VALLEYS,RD,ATL,GA
SS-123-45-6789&
END OF REPORT CBI AND AFFILIATES - 2/2/87
----------------------------------------------------------------------
MESSAGE MEANING
IS SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER A TYPO Social security number invalid
ERROR? SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER because number in question has
OUT OF RANGE never been issued.
IS SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER A TYPO Social security number invalid
ERROR? SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER because it was assigned to a
NUMBER REPORTED RETIRED person who is now deceased.
IS SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER A TYPO The social security number in
ERROR? SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER question has been reported
REPORTED MISUSED misused.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
DTEC MB 2000 DIRECT OR COUPLER
1. HIT THE CREATE BUTTON
2. HIT "C" FOR CBI
3. TYPE IN 1 FOR ACCESS CODE - IF YOUR TERMINAL DOES NOT HAVE THIS
GO ON TO NEXT STEP
4. TERMINAL WILL RESPOND REPORT TYPE
5. HIT "X" AND HIT RETURN
6. TERMINAL WILL RESPOND OTHER INFO-
7. TYPE DTEC-000-00-0000 (MAKE SURE TO PUT DASHES IN - DO NOT PUT
A PERIOD AT THE END OF THE LINE)
8. HIT RETURN - TERMINAL WILL RESPOND TRANSACTION 2 - IF YOU HAVE
MORE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS TO RUN - GO AHEAD AND DO SO - IF
YOU ARE FINISHED
*9. HIT HELP/QUIT BUTTON - TERMINAL WILL RESPOND ?
*10. HIT XMIT BUTTON - TERMINAL WILL RESPOND - TRANSMIT ALL REQUESTS
*11. HIT "N" FOR NO - TERMINAL WILL RESPOND (C)BI (T)RW ETC. ...
12. HIT "C" FOR CBI - TERMINAL WILL RESPOND WITH USERS INITIALS
**13. TYPE IN YOUR INITIALS AND HIT RETURN - TERMINAL WILL RESPOND
TRANSMITTING CBI PHONE NUMBER
14. TYPE IN PHONE NUMBER FOR CBI 937-0232 OR 739-7600 BROWARD (IF
YOU ARE USING AN OUTSIDE LINE YOU MAY NEED TO TYPE IN 9D BEFORE
THE NUMBER)
15. HIT RETURN
16. TERMINAL WILL RESPOND CONNECTED AND AUTOMATICALLY SIGN YOU ON AND
GIVE YOU THE NAME, ADDRESS AND SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER OF YOUR
SUBJECT
**********************************************************************
*OMIT STEP 9, STEP 10 AND STEP 11 IF YOU HAVE A CBI ONLY MB 2000
**IF YOU ARE USING A COUPLER AT THIS TIME YOU WILL DIAL CBI - 937-0232
DADE OR 736-7600 BROWARD PUT PHONE ON THE COUPLER AFTER COMPUTER TONE
IS HEARD - WHEN GREEN CARRIER LIGHT COMES ON - HIT RETURN ONCE -
TERMINAL WILL SAY CONNECTED AND AUTOMATICALLY SIGN YOU ON AND GIVE
YOU THE NAME, ADDRESS AND SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER OF YOUR SUBJECT.
UP TO 4 RECORDS MAY BE DELIVERED. FORMER ADDRESS, EMPLOYMENT AND
AGE INFORMATION PROVIDED WHEN AVAILABLE.
IF NO RECORD FOUND OUTPUT WILL BE:
51 NO RECORD FOUND
CBI/EQUIFAX
CONFIDENTIAL
_____________________________________________________________________________
"THE SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER"
by Barbara Bennett and The Producer
July, 1993. -- I have NO idea where the hell I downloaded this one
from, but it's an EXTREMELY useful text, by some whore named Barbara Bennett,
which discusses the significance of the Social Security Number. This, as I
said, is VERY useful information to have -- especially when engaging in scams
which require that you reside, have resided or were born in a particular part
of the United States. Please refer to this text for all applicable future
SCAM!s. Her unedited words follow:
*
"The Social Security Number"
SSA has continually emphasized the fact that the SSN identifies a
particular record only and the Social Security Card indicates the person whose
record is identified by that number. In no way can the Social Security Card
identify the bearer. From 1946 to 1972 the legend "Not for Identification" was
printed on the face of the card. However, many people ignored the message and
the legend was eventually dropped. The social security number is the most
widely used and carefully controlled number in the country, which makes it an
attractive identifier.
With the exception of the restrictions imposed on Federal and some
State and local organizations by the Privacy Act of 1974, organizations
requiring a unique identifier for purposes of controlling their records are not
prohibited from using (with the consent of the holder) the SSN. SSA records are
confidential and knowledge of a person's SSN does not give the user access to
information in SSA files which is confidential by law.
Many commercial enterprises have used the SSN in various promotional
efforts. These uses are not authorized by SSA, but SSA has no authority to
prohibit such activities as most are not illegal. Some of these unauthorized
uses are: SSN contests; skip-tracers; sale or distribution of plastic or metal
cards; pocketbook numbers (the numbers used on sample social security cards in
wallets); misleading advertising, commercial enterprises charging fees for SSN
services; identification of personal property.
The Social Security Number (SSN) is composed of 3 parts, XXX-XX-XXXX,
called the Area, Group, and Serial. For the most part, (there are exceptions),
the Area is determined by where the individual APPLIED for the SSN (before
1972) or RESIDED at time of application (after 1972). The areas are assigned as
follows:
/----------------------------------------------------------------------------\
| 000 unused 387-399 WI 528-529 UT |
| 001-003 NH 400-407 KY 530 NV |
| 004-007 ME 408-415 TN 531-539 WA |
| 008-009 VT 416-424 AL 540-544 OR |
| 010-034 MA 425-428 MS 545-573 CA |
| 035-039 RI 429-432 AR 574 AK |
| 040-049 CT 433-439 LA 575-576 HI |
| 050-134 NY 440-448 OK 577-579 DC |
| 135-158 NJ 449-467 TX 580 VI Virgin Islands |
| 159-211 PA 468-477 MN 581-584 PR Puerto Rico |
| 212-220 MD 478-485 IA 585 NM |
| 221-222 DE 486-500 MO 586 PI Pacific Islands* |
| 223-231 VA 501-502 ND 587-588 MS |
| 232-236 WV 503-504 SD 589-595 FL |
| 237-246 NC 505-508 NE 596-599 PR Puerto Rico |
| 247-251 SC 509-515 KS 600-601 AZ |
| 252-260 GA 516-517 MT 602-626 CA |
| 261-267 FL 518-519 ID *Guam, American Samoa, |
| 268-302 OH 520 WY Northern Mariana Islands, |
| 303-317 IN 521-524 CO Philippine Islands |
| 318-361 IL 525 NM |
| 362-386 MI 526-527 AZ |
| |
| 627-699 unassigned, for future use |
| |
| 700-728 Railroad workers through 1963, then discontinued |
| |
| 729-899 unassigned, for future use |
| |
| 900-999 not valid SSNs, but were used for program purposes when State |
| aid to the aged, blind and disabled was converted to a Federal |
| program administered by SSA. |
\----------------------------------------------------------------------------/
As the Areas assigned to a locality are exhausted, new areas from the
pool are assigned. This is why some states have non-contiguous groups of Areas.
The Group portion of the SSN has no meaning other than to determine
whether or not a number has been assigned. SSA publishes a list every month of
the highest group assigned for each SSN Area. The order of assignment for the
Groups is: odd numbers under 10, even numbers over 9, even numbers under 9
except for 00 which is never used, and odd numbers over 10. For example, if the
highest group assigned for area 999 is 72, then we know that the number 999-04-
1234 is an invalid number because even Groups under 9 have not yet been
assigned.
The Serial portion of the SSN has no meaning. The Serial is not
assigned in strictly numerical order. The Serial 0000 is never assigned.
Before 1973, Social Security Cards with pre-printed numbers were
issued to each local SSA office. The numbers were assigned by the local office.
In 1973, SSN assignment was automated and outstanding stocks of pre-printed
cards were destroyed. All SSNs are now assigned by computer from headquarters.
There are rare cases in which the computer system can be forced to accept a
manual assignment such as a person refusing a number with 666 in it.
A pamphlet entitled "The Social Security Number" (Pub. No. 05-10633)
provides an explanation of the SSN's structure and the method of assigning and
validating Social Security numbers.
_____________________________________________________________________________
"USING DANIEL J. KARNES' CREDIT CARD VERIFIER"
by Daniel J. Karnes and The Producer
July, 1993. -- Have you ever had a time when you needed a credit card
number quickly? Well, my fellow SCAM!mers, there are of course numerous ways
to get REAL credit card numbers, along with their expiration dates, but I'll
leave that topic for a future edition of "SCAM!" (sorry, but, as you know, I
just LOVE leaving these little teasers so you'll download my next issue!)
In this article, however, I'm going to discuss something that, for its
usefulness, it equally important: the method of obtaining credit card numbers
that an UNSOPHISTICATED user (e.g. a BBS or other organization which either has
no need or means to verify), will deem as mathematically VALID credit card
numbers.
The Importance of Numerical Progression
Visa, American Express, Discover and MasterCard all have specific
arrangements of numbers. You seem them in their "groups" of three and four, of
course, but you probably don't know the significance of the numbers within each
group. To make life simple, let me just state that the numbers that appear in
each group -- and the ORDER they appear -- will mathematically define valid
credit cards. If you knew what numbers were mathematically valid, you would be
in a more powerful position because, if such a number were to be needed, it
could be readily and easily supplied without the necessity of enduring the
procedures of obtaining actual credit card numbers. Take heart: as of today,
you can do this! Why? The program for doing this has been enclosed, right
here and right now, with this edition of "SCAM!" and it is available for you,
my loyal "SCAM!" friends, to use immediately!
Daniel J. Karnes' Credit Card Verifier
If you downloaded this edition of "SCAM!" properly, you have already
seen an additional file in SCAM2.ZIP called VC.EXE. This is a very small and
very handy little program by a man named Daniel J. Karnes who, for the life of
me, I have no idea who he is. Anyway, my fellow SCAM!mers, this little gem can
be of great value to you.
Using this utility is as easy as jerking off to a photo of Cindy
Crawford ... First, just move the file into the directory where you want the
program to reside. There's no self-extracting garbage, no nothing; the only
file in the program is VC.EXE, nothing more. It's so small, it'll take up NO
space really, and it's well worth having. Simply type VC at the prompt, then
RETURN. The utility will prompt you to enter a credit card number. Do so.
Then, hit RETURN. The program will then tell you whether the number you
entered is a mathematically valid Visa, American Express, Discover or
MasterCard number. If the number you entered is mathematically incorrect for
any of these four types of cards, the program will also tell you so.
Have you figured out the value of this yet? Here's a scenario:
You need a credit card number for some local BBS that wants to have it
for their records. But, if you just give them an arbitrary number, their
computer might have a program to recognize that it's "a fake, a phony and a
fraud" (quoting one of my favorite radio personalities, WABC's Bob Grant!) So,
merely play with this utility by entering different credit card numbers until
you hit. Then, when you get a valid number, write it down and start all over
again. Eventually you will get hundreds of valid credit card numbers of all
types; keep these altogether on one sheet of paper and, if the need ever arises
for you to furnish a credit card number, you've got one! What could be easier?
*** "SCAM!" SUGGESTION: ***
You'll have an easier time of getting valid credit
card numbers on this utility if you enter variations of
known real credit card numbers. For example:
Suppose you wanted to try to get a valid VISA
number. You open your wallet, take out your VISA card,
and note that it's number is 4408 9104 0001 1234. So,
in the utility you might want to try 4408 9205 0001 1237
-- a slight variation on a known REAL number. This way,
your likelihood of achieving success is GREATLY increased*.
(*Yes, those #'s were just EXAMPLES!!)
*** "SCAM!" SUGGESTION: ***
It is unknown to the author whether you need to
put spaces in between when entering a credit card number
on this utility. I can only tell you that I have always
put spaces in, and it works. So, put spaces in!
The author has personally tried this utility many times with known
credit card numbers and, surprisingly enough, it works every time! Similarly,
it knows when bogus numbers are entered. So fear not ... if this program can
deem your credit card number valid, then so will the user's program.
*** "SCAM!" WARNING: ***
DON'T rely on this program as a substitute for
REAL credit card numbers! There are times when you
must absolutely need to enter a real, actual credit
card number. If you're presented with such an occasion,
this program will NOT suffice! If you don't know when
you need actual credit card numbers and when numbers
supplied by this program will suffice, then BE PATIENT
and wait for an upcoming edition of "SCAM!" to tell
you when to use what!
A final note on this: You can get the mathematically correct credit
card numbers using this utility, as I said above. But what about expiration
dates? Simple: Just choose a month and year at random, and you're set!
*** "SCAM!" SUGGESTION: ***
When choosing an expiration date, choose one
that's about 18 to 22 months from now. Why? Most
credit cards have maximum terms of TWO YEARS. If
you choose an expiration over 24 months, it will
look suspicious and may not even be accepted. If
you choose an expiration of, say 1 month, you may
be faced with the possibility of re-entering your
credit card number and supplying a new expiration
date when that month is up. When the month is up,
you may very well have forgotten the credit card
number or expiration date you supplied! Wouldn't
that be a shame??!!! So, if you choose an expiration
of 18, 19 months, etc. (but NOT more than 24!), you
know you'll have the freedom of usage of that number
for at least that period of time.
_____________________________________________________________________________
"THE RIGHT TO PRIVACY"
by The Producer
July, 1993. -- I intend to demonstrate the absolute continuing need
for a new callers' right to privacy, and how this privilege is being taken
away.
Newuser Guidelines on "Mr.X"'s BBS
Upon recently logging on as a newuser on the BBS of "Mr. X", as I'll
call him here, I was confronted with the usual stuff about the terms and
conditions of the BBS, etc. Then, I was asked to give my name, address and
telephone number --to which I responded "CONFIDENTIAL". Then, I was brought to
the "questionnaire" area, where I was asked the usual droll fare like, "What is
'2600'?", "What does IIRG stand for?", "Do you phreak?", etc. The appropriate
responses were supplied. Finally, I was brought into the message area to
leave a message to the Sysop stating specifically why I want access.
Subsequently, I was told that if after 24 hours I call back and find that my
handle is not recognized, "Don't call back again" (how rude!) The BBS states
that the message must meet with the satisfaction of "Mr. X", and I presumed
this was to weed out nerds and Secret Service agents. Quite understandable, I
thought ... and so I proceeded to leave my message.
Privacy Invasion Attempted from Response to Message
[Excerpt of THE PRODUCER's original message to obtain access]:
THE PRODUCER: "You guys protect yourselves by using handles only and
keeping your numbers private because of the fine-line of what you have online;
I also wish to remain private, to protect myself just in case. If I'm
paranoid, sorry, but as I said, I'm new. I can't learn anything unless others
help me."
[Excerpt of "MR. X"'s response]:
"MR. X": "Well, we all go by handles and such, but, we still need
real info. Why? Otherwise our records get all cluttered. You won't see any
of us using this info at all. But, it is very essential. Everything here IS
legal, so there is NOTHING to worry about. Nevertheless, we do require
things such as this. So, before you can be granted access, you will need to
give us [your] real name, address, city/state, zip, and phone number. If you
don't wish to do this, please tell me so I can delete your account."
*
Gimme a break! Do you really believe he wants my real name, etc. just
to make sure his "records" don't get "cluttered"? Come on, jack!
Phellow readers, take note that in my opening message I told this
gentleman about "SCAM!" and, if he had any questions about The Producer's
intentions or integrity, suggested he call The Rune Stone BBS, download
SCAM1.ZIP, and see what I'm all about. I even offered to regularly download
the latest issues of "SCAM!" on HIS board, too! But this was The Producer's
reward for courtesy and generousity, my friends.
Well, you know I just had to call back and leave a reply ...
[Excerpt of reply]:
THE PRODUCER: "As to anonymity, I take offense at someone who INSISTS
that I reveal my true name, address and phone number -- from which you very
well know you could learn everything else about me -- when you yourself
BLATANTLY refuse to reveal who you are and where you are. For all I know, your
BBS's number could be call-forwarded to Peru! If everything is SO legal and
there's NOTHING to worry about, as you say, then WHY DON'T YOU COME FORWARD
FIRST??!"
Not bad, if I do say so myself! What do you think? I was unimpressed
by the tiresome reiterations of how "legal" the BBS is; my feeling is, alright,
you said it once and I got the message, you're legit, OK. Sure. But, another
very important point is this: For what purpose should one's identity,
especially on a "fine-line" BBS of this type, be revealed?
Pitfalls of Revealing True Identity
Clearly, "Mr. X" wishes to have the one-way power; however, The
Producer stands firm and refuses to yield. My suggestion to fellow readers is
to steadfastly do the same. Think about it -- we have no idea who these Sysops
are. For all we know, they could be 12-year-olds who havn't a clue what
they're getting themselves into. Would you want to have your name, address,
phone number, etc. amongst a group of others and written on a list somewhere
that was taken as part of an undercover RAID some acne-faced teenager
inadvertently got himself targeted for? I WOULDN'T! Privacy in the U. S. is a
RIGHT, not a privilege. Granted, it's being slowly taken away from us by the
government, but let's at least try to keep what little we have left, without
letting unknown Sysops take it away!
Weeding Out The Undercover Guys
Something else to remember here: it seems this man was either really
on a power trip, in a really cruddy mood, or was otherwise suspect of The
Producer. Let's clearly, unquestionably, unequivocally, fully and completely
eliminate the latter: The Producer is not a member of ANY law enforcement
agency, and never was! Do you get the gist? Do you know what that means, and
what it implies? Simple (and remember this, in case you don't know): If
anyone, anywhere at anytime is a member of any law enforcement agency of any
kind, and if this person is operating in an "undercover" fashion, he or she
MUST, when asked, confirm the fact that he or she is a member of a law
enforcement agency. If a policeman or Secret Service man were to deny his
involvement, that's called "entrapment". It doesn't matter if you're charged
with jaywalking or murder, the fact remains that if you were entrapped in any
way, shape or form, you will NEVER be convicted; this is why law enforcement
personnel MUST reveal their true selves when asked. Thus, The Producer cannot
understand why, if the simple question is asked and answered "No", should this
not be sufficient to gain access onto "Mr. X"'s BBS, or any other BBS for that
matter?
Why should a person's real name be required? Everyone knows what the
Sysop is looking for -- unwanted outsiders. The Producer says: Weed them out
with the simple question, "Are you now or have you ever been a member of any
law enforcement agency in any State or Territory of The United States of
America?" If they answer "No", then, as Paul McCartney & Wings said (I think
around 1976?), "LET HIM IN, OH YEAH!"
What Can We Do?
I respectfully suggest the following to all "SCAM!" readers: if you
find yourself logging on to a "fine-line" BBS, and if this BBS requires
verifiable personal ID as discussed above, simply disconnect and don't call
again! True, you might be missing out on some files, but you might also be
saving yourself from some unnecessary detention at the local police station
(and remember, even if the police let you go, once your name is on record it's
ALWAYS on record -- REGARDLESS of what they tell you!) Don't just say, "Oh
yeah, sure," and take this helpful tip lightly! -- ONLY logon to BBS's with
your handle and NOTHING more, and reveal NO verifiable personals about yourself
or your whereabouts. If everyone with a modem were to follow these rules, you
can be certain that no BBS in America would ever again require real names and
addresses -- or else they'd find themselves with no callers! So, let's start a
trend!
Epilogue
One final note to this: The Producer wishes to make NO unnecessary
enemies in the BBS world. "Mr. X" gave his opinion and, right or wrong, it's
his board and he's entitled to it ... that's a principle our country was
founded on, which too many of us seem to be forgetting nowadays. This article
was written not to dissuade future callers to "Mr. X"'s BBS, which may very
well contain valuable files. It is merely offered as an illustration of the
need for continued privacy for all -- both Sysops AND callers. And may I also
note that the ad for his BBS, which is downloadable, is quite cool!
And for those of you who are probably saying, "The Producer accused
"Mr. X" of being on a power trip, but The Producer has used the power of his
OWN magazine, "SCAM!", to publish this article AGAINST "Mr. X"! Doesn't that
put The Producer on a power trip, too?"
To this I respond, well, maybe, but hell ... what the fuck!
______________________________________________________________________________
"POLICE INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES"
by ???
July, 1993. -- EDITOR'S NOTE: This article was obtained by an
anonymous donor and represents some of the tools used by the police in
obtaining statements of confession during interrogation. Upon information and
belief, the materials contained in this article are fully accurate as of the
date of this publication. My thanx to the donor for his contrib'! The
unedited text follows:
*
Why Suspects Confess
Many criminal cases, even when investigated by the most experienced
and best qualified investigators, are ultimately solved by an admission or
confession from the person responsible for committing the crime. Oftentimes,
investigators are able to secure only a minimal amount of evidence, be it
physical or circumstantial, that points directly to a suspect, and in many
instances, this evidence is not considered strong enough by prosecutors to
obtain a conviction. In such cases, the interrogation of the suspects and
their subsequent confessions are of prime importance.
This article addresses the question of why suspects speak freely to
investigators, and ultimately, sign full confessions. The physical and
psychological aspects of confession and how they relate to successful
interrogations of suspects are also discussed, as is the "breakthrough," the
point in the interrogation when suspects make an admission, no matter how
minuscule, that begins the process of obtaining a full confession.
Defining "Interrogation"
Interrogation is the questioning of a person suspected of having
committed a crime. It is designed to match acquired information to a
particular suspect in order to secure a confession. The goals of interrogation
include:
* To learn the truth of the crime and how it happened
* To obtain an admission of guilt from the suspect
* To obtain all the facts to determine the method of operation and
the circumstances of the crime in question
* To gather information that enables investigators to arrive at
logical conclusions
* To provide information for use by the prosecutor in possible court
action.
Knowing the definition and objectives of the interrogation, the
question then asked is, "Why do suspects confess?" Self-condemnation and self-
destruction are not normal human behavioral characteristics. Human beings
ordinarily do not utter unsolicited, spontaneous confessions. It is logical to
conclude, therefore, that when suspects are taken to police stations to be
questioned concerning their involvement in a particular crime, their immediate
reaction will be a refusal to answer any questions. With the deluge of
television programs that present a clear picture of the Miranda warning and its
application to suspects, one would conclude that no one questioned about a
crime would surrender incriminating information, much less supply investigators
with a signed, full confession. It would also seem that once suspects sense
the direction in which the investigators are heading, the conversation would
immediately end. However, for various psychological reasons, suspects continue
to speak with investigators.
Suspect Paranoia
Suspects are never quite sure of exactly what information
investigators possess. They know that the police are investigating the crime,
and in all likelihood, suspects have followed media accounts of their crimes to
determine what leads the police have. Uppermost in their minds, however, is
how to escape detection and obtain firsthand information about the
investigation and where it is heading.
Such "paranoia" motivates suspects to accompany the police voluntarily
for questioning. Coupled with curiosity, this paranoia motivates suspects to
appear at police headquarters as "concerned citizens" who have information
pertinent to the case. By doing this, suspects may attempt to supply false or
noncorroborative information in order to lead investigators astray, gain inside
information concerning the case from investigators, and remove suspicion from
themselves by offering information on the case so investigators will not
suspect their involvement.
For example, in one case, a 22-year-old woman was discovered in a
stairwell outside of a public building. The woman had been raped and was found
naked and bludgeoned. Investigators interviewed numerous people during the
next several days but were unable to identify any suspects. Media coverage on
the case was extremely high.
Several days into the investigation, a 23-year-old man appeared at
police headquarters with two infants in tow and informed investigators that he
believed he may have some information regarding the woman's death. The man
revealed that when he was walking home late one evening, he passed the area
where the woman was found and observed a "strange individual" lurking near an
adjacent phone booth. The man said that because he was frightened of the
stranger, he ran back to his home. After reading the media accounts of the
girl's death, he believed that he should tell the police what he had observed.
The man gave police a physical description of the "stranger" and then
helped an artist to compose a sketch of the individual. After he left,
investigators discovered that the sketch bore a strong resemblance to the
"witness" who provided the information.
After further investigation, the witness was asked to return to the
police station to answer more questions, which he did gladly. Some 15 hours
into the interrogation, he confessed to one of his "multiple personalities"
having killed the woman, who was unknown to him, simply because the victim was
a woman, which is what the suspect had always wanted to be.
This case clearly illustrates the need for some suspects to know
exactly what is happening in an investigation. In their minds, they honestly
believe that by hiding behind the guise of "trying to help," they will, without
incriminating themselves, learn more about the case from the investigators.
The Interrogation Setting
In any discussion concerning interrogation, it is necessary to include
a review of the surroundings where a suspect is to be interrogated. Because
there is a general desire to maintain personal integrity before family members
and peer groups, suspects should be removed from familiar surroundings and
taken to a location that has an atmosphere more conducive to cooperativeness
and truthfulness. The primary psychological factor contributing to successful
interrogations is privacy -- being totally alone with suspects. This privacy
prompts suspects to feel willing to unload the burden of guilt. The
interrogation site should isolate the suspect so that only the interrogator is
present. The suspect's thoughts and responses should be free from all outside
distractions or stimuli.
The interrogation setting also plays an important part in obtaining
confessions. The surroundings should reduce suspect fears and contribute to
the inclination to discuss the crime. Because fear is a direct reinforcement
for defensive mechanisms (resistance), it is important to erase as many fears
as possible. Therefore, the interrogation room should establish a business
atmosphere as opposed to a police-like atmosphere. While drab, barren
interrogation rooms increase fear in suspects, a location that displays an
open, you-have-nothing-to fear quality about it can do much to break
down interrogation defensiveness, thereby eliminating a major barrier. The
interrogators tend to disarm the suspects psychologically by placing them in
surroundings that are free from any fear-inducing distractions.
Psychological Factors
More than likely, suspects voluntarily accompany investigators, either
in response to a police request to answer questions or in an attempt to learn
information about the investigation. Once settled in the interrogation room,
the interrogators should treat suspects in a civilized manner, no matter how
vicious or serious the crime might have been. While they may have feelings of
disgust for the suspects, the goal is to obtain a confession, and it is
important that personal emotions not be revealed.
Investigators should also adopt a compassionate attitude and attempt to
establish a rapport with suspects. In most cases, suspects commit crimes
because they believe that it offers the best solution to their needs at the
moment. Two rules of thumb to remember are: (1) "There but for the grace of
God go I"; and (2) it is important to establish a common level of understanding
with the suspects. These rules are critical to persuading suspects to be open,
forthright, and honest. Suspects should be persuaded to look beyond the
investigators' badges and see, instead, officers who listen without judging.
If investigators are able to convince suspects that the key issue is not the
crime itself, but what motivated them to commit the crime, they will begin to
rationalize or explain their motivating factors.
At this stage of the interrogation, investigators are on the brink of
having suspects break through remaining defensive barriers to admit involvement
in the crime. This is the critical stage of the interrogation process known as
the "breakthrough".
The "Breakthrough"
The "breakthrough" is the point in the interrogation when suspects
make an admission, no matter how small. In spite of having been advised of
certain protections guaranteed by the Constitution, most suspects feel a need
to confess. Both hardcore criminals and first-time offenders suffer from the
same pangs of conscience. This is an indication that their defense mechanisms
are diminished, and at this point, the investigators may push through to elicit
the remaining elements of confession.
In order for interrogators to pursue a successful breakthrough, they
must recognize and understand certain background factors that are unique to a
particular suspect. Many times, criminals exhibit psychological problems that
are the result of having come from homes torn by conflict and dissension. Also
frequently found in the backgrounds of criminals are parental rejection and
inconsistent and severe punishment. It is important that investigators see
beyond the person sitting before them and realize that past experiences can
impact on current behavior. Once interrogators realize that the fear of
possible punishment, coupled with the loss of pride in having to admit to
committing mistakes, is the basic inhibitor they must overcome in suspects,
they will quickly be able to formulate questions and analyze responses that
will break through the inhibitors.
Successful Interrogations
Investigators must conduct every interrogation with the belief that
suspects, when presented with the proper avenue, will use it to confess their
crimes. Research indicates that most guilty persons who confess are, from the
outset, looking for the proper opening during the interrogation to communicate
their guilt to the interrogators.
Suspects confess when the internal anxiety caused by their deception
outweighs their perceptions of the crime's consequences. In most instances,
suspects have magnified, in their minds, both the severity of the crime and the
possible repercussions. Interrogators should allay suspect anxiety by putting
these fears into perspective.
Suspects also make admissions or confessions when they believe that
cooperation is the best course of action. If they are convinced that officers
are prepared to listen to all of the circumstances surrounding the crimes, they
will begin to talk. The psychological and physiological pressures that build
in a person who has committed a crime are best alleviated by communicating.
In order to relieve these suppressed pressures, suspects explain the
circumstances of their crimes they confess.
And, finally, suspects confess when interrogators are able to
speculate correctly on why the crimes were committed. Suspects want to know
ahead of time that interrogators will believe what they have to say and will
understand what motivated them to commit the crime.
Conclusion
It is natural for suspects to want to preserve their privacy, civil
rights, and liberties. It is also natural for suspects to resist discussing
their criminal acts. For these very reasons, however, investigators must
develop the skills that enable them to disarm defensive resistors established
by suspects during interrogation. Before suspects will confess, they must feel
comfortable in their surroundings, and they must have confidence in the
interrogators, who should attempt to gain this confidence by listening intently
to them and by allowing them to verbalize their accounts of the crimes.
Interrogators who understand what motivates suspects to confess will
be better able to formulate effective questions and analyze suspect responses.
Obviously, more goes into gaining a confession than is contained in this
article. However, if the interrogator fails to understand the motivations of
the suspect, other factors impacting on obtaining the confession will be less
effective.
*
_____________________________________________________________________________
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*********************************|**********************************
SCAM!/---/--------///-----////----////---///----////---///---/////--////
oooo/ @ ooo/ oooo oooo ooo oooo ooo oooo oooo
@/ @/ @/ /@/ @/ // @/ // @/ @ / @/ @ // / @/ @
@/ @/ @ooo@/ @oooo/ @oooo/ @/ @oo/ @/ @oooo @/ @
@ / // @ / // @/ @/ /// @/ /// @/ /@/ @/ /@/ @ / // @//@
_oooo/ _oooo /_@/ @/ _oooo/ _oooo/ _ooo/ _@/ _ooo/ _oooo _oooo/
------------------------------------------------------------------ SCAM!
*********************************|**********************************
dbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdbdb
"THE RUNE STONE BBS" is open and is available to ALL inquisitive modemers!
This is an IIRG-oriented, Connecticut-based BBS which features a VERY
knowledgeable, helpful and friendly Sysop; NO ratios(!); and a WEALTH of
informational philes to explore. This BBS is also the place to find the
latest editions of "SCAM!" magazine! Even if you're an out-of-state caller,
this BBS is well worth the extra dime. So why not call today? The fone
number is (203) 832-8441. Logon with newuser password "CONSPIRACY", and say
you heard about 'em from "SCAM!"
_________________________________________________________________________
WANTED: VALID CBI, TRW, EQUIFAX AND TRANS UNION ACCOUNTS, PASSWORDS AND
LOGON HELP. If you have enjoyed reading "SCAM!" magazine and have found it
of any value to you, which hopefully you have, please be advised that NO
idiotic money contributions are requested. Rather, I seek the above. If
you have any of the above, or would like to refer a BBS number and newuser
logon password where the above information can be obtained, please leave a
PRIVATE message for THE PRODUCER on The Rune Stone BBS (see above). NOTE:
The Rune Stone BBS is a legitimate BBS and does NOT wish information of
this type publicly posted. Therefore, please obey the wishes and respect
the rules of the Sysops on this BBS and do NOT post this info publicly.
Each message will be treated with the UTMOST in confidentiality and will be
sincerely appreciated.
_________________________________________________________________________
ARE YOU SICK AND TIRED OF CALLING "611" to get repair service, only to find
out that the line is busy or you're being put on hold for about an hour??
Fret no more ... if you're a New York Telephone customer, try 890-0091. This
is an UNLISTED New York Telephone trunk number that will automatically connect
you to the first available operator for repair. The repair centers, by the
way, are in White Plains and Garden City, and there's another in Queens
somewhere. You won't find yourself calling back or left on hold again!
SIDE NOTE: This number works in MOST area codes serviced
by New York Telephone, but it might not work in yours. Try
it anyway, you have nothing to lose!
THIS HELPFUL HINT FURNISHED COURTESY OF THE PRODUCER ON "SCAM!" MAGAZINE
_________________________________________________________________________
FOR SALE: VALID SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBERS, together with (1) the name of the
person the number belongs to; (2) his or her most current address; and (3)
his or her most current telephone number. HUNDREDS OF NUMBERS AVAILABLE,
most also including the person's date of birth! Many also include the
person's current occupation, place of employment AND salary. These numbers,
which are available for REAL, LIVING persons, can in many cases be tailored to
your needs for specific age, race and/or nationality. NO MONEY DESIRED FOR
THIS INFORMATION; USE YOUR BRAIN TO FIGURE OUT WHAT'S WANTED IN RETURN!
DISCLAIMER: The authors and publishers of this magazine shall act merely as
liaison to any parties responding to this advertisement, for informational and
entertainment purposes only. RESPOND, PLEASE, IN THE APPROPRIATE FASHION.
_________________________________________________________________________
FIND OUT INFO ON THAT AMEX CARD! If you know the number of an American Express
Card AND the social security number of the cardholder, just dial the following
number: 1-800-292-2639. A computer-generated program will permit you to find
out lots of valuable information on the card such as last payment, available
limits, etc. You do NOT need to know the expiration date of the card! Works
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│VOL 1 NO 3 SCAM! MAGAZINE August 1993 FREE ONLINE!│
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╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║ ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE ║
║ ║
║ 1. The Non-Existance of AIDS ║
║ by The Producer ║
║ ║
║ 2. "SCAM!" CLASSIFIED ADS ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝
EDITOR'S NOTE: Read on with the knowledge that all materials contained in
the article "The Non-Existance of AIDS" are, to the author's knowledge, 100%
accurate.
┌───────┐
██████████████████████████████████│SCAM #3│████████████████████████████████████
└───────┘
"THE NON-EXISTANCE OF AIDS"
by The Producer
August, 1993. --
"... and I stood at my window and I watched them, people
who looked just like they always had except they seemed
tired, frustrated, afraid, and I wondered, 'What of?' And
they said, 'AIDS', and they told me it had been so long
since their last sexual encounter that they felt ashamed to
admit it, and some said they lost all true pleasure in life
by not having as many partners as they once had. And they
said they wished they were born in the late 1940's so that
they could have experienced the sexual freedom of the late
'60's and '70's which they felt cheated out of. And then
they said it's hopeless, that there's nothing I could do ..."
This entire issue is devoted to one of the biggest scams of all time
── the AIDS hype that has been pulled off by the government of the United
States of America ── for reasons still unknown. The author has noted a variety
of other publications discussing AIDS, however the faceless and fictitious
epidemic continues to plague society. Omit the title page of this magazine and
omit this paragraph, and you should have no trouble getting someone to sleep
with you after they've fully read this article. Sure, I know, you meet someone
and get her to your apartment at 3:17 A. M. and she says no, so what do you do,
whip out this article?? ── no, I guess not!; but, it will certainly help the
process of turning relationships from non-sexual to sexual.
Preface
Please show this article to someone you know and love who will either
not sleep with you unless you wear a condom or, out of fear of contracting
AIDS, will not sleep with you at all.
*
Introduction
What are the real truths and untruths about AIDS, HIV and your odds
of actually dieing from them? So much has been said, it is now finally the
time to clear up fact from fiction and explain away all the myths that have
sadly captured and inhibited the U. S. population.
The following is a list of 12 statements that were once made to me
regarding AIDS and the use of condoms. If you agree with them, by the end of
this report your opinion will hopefully drastically differ:
1█ AIDS is a horrible, lethal disease which has spread
throughout the American population.
2█ It is a delusion to think AIDS is confined to
homosexual men and intravenous drug users. The
heterosexual community is alarmingly at risk.
3█ Even if you have led a promiscuous life with partners
out of the "high-risk" category, you still have a
reasonable chance of contracting AIDS because you
never know who your partners have slept with.
4█ People who are educated should be smart enough to
acknowledge AIDS and should act accordingly to
prevent themselves from becoming victims.
5█ It is reasonable for a single woman to expect a man
she has been dating and knows well to voluntarily
submit to an AIDS test so that she may have peace of
mind.
6█ Even if a person submits to an AIDS test and has
negative results, this is no assurance the person is
not infected. You have to wait at least 6 months
without sexual contact and then take the test for it
to be fairly accurate. And even then, there's
always still some risk.
7█ If I knew a man who was not in a "high-risk group"
for AIDS, and if he promised to submit to an AIDS
test in 6 months, I would still not have sex with
him until that time, even if he wore a condom.
8█ Because of AIDS, I would insist my partner use a
condom, even if his AIDS test result after 6 months
was negative, because there's always risk.
9█ Any man who engages in sexual encounters with
strangers without wearing a condom is a stupid and
ignorant man. He is alarmingly increasing his
chances of being infected with AIDS. He is not the
type of man I would like to know, much less marry
someday.
10█ AIDS has overwhelmed our society and government
should clearly devote more financial resources to
find a cure right away, as more people are dieing
and more people are at risk than ever before.
11█ I've read articles which state the possibility
exists that you can get AIDS from french kissing
and oral sex. Though there are a limited number of
statistics available, the fact that I have read of
the possibility is alone enough reason to make me
that much more wary of french kissing strangers or
engaging in oral sex with a non-tested partner.
12█ The articles I have read about AIDS come from well-
known, reputable sources. What I read from one
source is confirmed by five others. Even if one
publication contained misstatements, they can't all
contain misstatements. Therefore, I generally
accept what I read as true.
To properly support the contention that AIDS is a virtually
insignificant disease for persons like you and I, two separate questions must
be addressed. First, what really are our odds of becoming infected with HIV,
the virus that is AIDS? And secondly, if it be true that our chances are
infinitely small, why are so many articles published warning and cautioning us
against a violently threatening disease? Consideration must be made of the
actual public opinion of AIDS ── not the opinion penned by questionable
magazine authors, but rather the actual opinion. Finally, an argument must be
offered to illustrate why a person such as yourself might succom to excessive
fear of this disease. Usage of condoms in the face of AIDS must similarly be
treated.
The Mathematical Probability of Contracting AIDS
Let's first look at some hard statistics and apply some everyday
mathematics. If you need to use your calculator, go ahead. I used mine.
Eighty-nine percent of AIDS cases in the U. S. involve gay or
bisexual men, who acquired the disease sexually, and users of intravenous
drugs who acquired the disease through infected needles. The actual breakdown
is 62% gay/bisexual, 27% addicts. Other high-risk groups include people with
hemophilia, who became infected through contaminated, blood-derived clotting
agents, and recent immigrants from certain African countries and Haiti. Let's
be generous and say that 95% of all AIDS cases involve, directly or
indirectly, persons from one or more categories of this entire above
referenced segment of the population (collectively hereinafter "the high-risk
group"). Remember this 95% figure, for it will be cited soon again.
Norman Hearst and Stephen Hulley of The Center for AIDS Prevention
Studies at The University of California in San Francisco recently performed a
series of calculations. In "The Journal of the American Medical Association",
the two researchers tabulated a heterosexual's chances of getting infected
with the AIDS virus during one episode of penile-vaginal intercourse. Not
surprisingly, the risk is extremely low. For instance, the chance of becoming
infected with the HIV after one sexual encounter with someone who has both
tested negative for HIV and who has no history of high-risk behavior is 1 in
500 million. If the same couple uses a condom, the risk plummets to 1 in 5
billion. Even having sex with someone whose HIV status is unknown, but who
does not belong to any high-risk group, yields a calculated risk of 1 in 5
million or 1 in 50 million per sexual episode, depending on whether or not a
condom is used. And having unprotected sex with someone who is HIV-positive
still exposes a person to only a 1 in 500 chance of getting infected after one
sexual encounter. After 500 such encounters, still only 2 out of 3
unprotected partners would become infected. "This advice is substantially
different from the message that the public has so far received regarding AIDS
prevention," the researchers say.
Since we now know that 95% of all AIDS cases involve persons from the
high risk group, let us assume that if a person is not in the high risk group
then this person is not infected (don't worry, this will be accounted for
later, but let's assume it now).
For simplicity, let us state that I am a typical American male. I
have had 10 sexual partners in my lifetime; only 1 of these partners did I
know very well and the other 9 were promiscuous, "one-night stands". The
partner I knew well tells me, and I verily believe, that she had been with
only one other partner in her lifetime, the last sexual encounter with this
partner, who was not a member of the high-risk group, having taken place years
before anyone in the U. S. even knew what AIDS was. With this information, we
rule out this well-known partner as being a carrier and must mathematically
investigate the 10 unknown females.
First, we narrow down the AIDS pool by sex and race based on personal
knowledge. Statistically, 92% of all AIDS victims in the U. S. are male and
70% of all female victims are black or hispanic. I know that none of the 9
unknown females were black or hispanic. Certainly, none were male (if there
is a God!) Combining the above statistics, it can be mathematically shown
that 1 in 42 AIDS victims are non-black, non-hispanic females. Thus if we do
not yet begin to consider the sexual histories or personal habits and morals
of these individuals and naturally assume the worst, and if we do not yet
consider the small probability of contracting AIDS in the general population,
each still has only a 1 in 42 chance of being a carrier and I am
mathematically left with a 97.6% safety net.
Next we consider the high-risk factor. A consensus of opinion is
that gays represent approximately 10% of the U. S. population. A recent
Kinsey Institute estimate, however, more properly places the correct breakdown
at 4%. Let us be generous, assume the worst, and go at 10%. Let us further
be exceedingly generous and claim that 5% of the U. S. population are
intravenous drug users and thus similarly fall into the high-risk AIDS group
as defined above. Let us continue to be mathematically generous and say that
people who are gay don't do drugs, and vice versa. Under these extremely
generous figures a total of 15%, or about 1 in 6.5 people in our country,
would fall into the group. Since we do not now know, nor will we ever know,
if these 9 unknown females were members of the high-risk group, although we
believe them all not to be, we are destined to use this "generous statistic"
that 1 in 6.5 of them were high-risk group members. Recall now the figure of
95% we cited earlier as that which represents the percentage of AIDS victims
in the high risk group. We account for the 1 in 20 AIDS victims who are not
high-risk (that leftover 5%), combine all statistics heretofore set forth and
arrive at a now 1 in 208 chance of any of these 9 unknown females to have been
a carrier ... again still not considering the likelihood of contracting AIDS
in the general population.
Now considering the AIDS pool versus the entire U. S. population of
250 million, we begin by noting statistics of The U. S. Centers for Disease
Control (hereinafter "CDC"), which inflates the number of infected Americans
at 1.5 million, thus overestimating that 1 in 160 Americans are infected! If
we use this generous figure, and if we know the odds for each of these 9
unknown females to fall into this 1-in-160 pool are 1 in 208, we now further
diminish the odds for any one of these 9 unknowns to actually be infected with
AIDS to be 1 in 33,280.
(Here is something peculiar ... consider the AIDS pool versus the
entire U. S. population. The U. S. Centers for Disease Control (hereinafter
"CDC") has placed the number of infected Americans at 1.5 million; as the
entire population is approximately 250 million, the CDC is thus implying that
1 in 160 Americans are infected. Yet we just showed, mathematically, that
the odds of any of those 9 women to fall into the high risk group ── not be
infected, just fall into the group ── would be 1 in 208. Thus, if what the
CDC has said is really true and 1 in 160 really are infected, that would mean
that if you're in the high risk group, you're pretty much automatically
infected; 1 in 160 and 1 in 208 are about the same odds. Something sounds
wrong, doesn't it? You bet! Now, let's continue ...)
Recall earlier we stated that having one sexual encounter with a
person who is HIV-positive results in a 1 in 500 chance of becoming infected.
If we know the likelihood for each of the 9 unknown females to be HIV positive
is 1 in 33,280, it can be mathematically shown that the actual odds of any one
of these 9 females being HIV positive AND of my becoming infected after that
one sexual encounter with them to be 1 in 16,640,000.
Finally, to do some real-world adjustments, recall we used a
calculation of 1 in 6.5 for females to fall into the group, based upon the
inflated assumption that a majority of the 10% of the unknowns are lesbians
(gay); if they were, of course, chances are very high that they would not have
been my sexual partner in the first place, for to do so would mean they are
bisexual also. Thus, considering an ever so slight adjustment for our
previous statistical generosity coupled with my judgment that none of the 9
females were bisexual/lesbians, or drug users for that matter, a rough and
still extremely generous final estimate would more appropriately be that the
likelihood for me to have become infected from any of the 9 women I have slept
with, whose past histories are virtually unknown, would be 1 IN 17 MILLION!!!
This 1-in-17,000,000 statistic, by the way, will not waver upon the
past sexual histories of any of the 9 unknown partners ── or 90 or 900 unknown
partners ── because the figures used to calculate the statistic are based on
the present and have already incorporated the consequences of the past. And
yes, this 1-in-17,000,000 statistic also assumes unprotected sex.
Does this 1-in-17,000,000 figure seem right? Yes. Why? Because we
began with the statistic that the odds of becoming infected with a person
whose HIV status is unknown, while unprotected, is 1 in 5 million. But we
then filtered out a high percentage of the AIDS population because, in my
particular case, we do know certain things. We know all the partners were
female; we know none were black or hispanic. Naturally, we can expect to
statistically improve the odds through these specifics and so it is that 1 in
17 million might very well be a realistic ballpark guess, were it not for the
lengthy mathematical calculations heretofore performed to arrive at the
figure.
The Truth About Condoms
The next question arising is, if I am a typical male and if my odds
of contracting AIDS while unprotected, with total strangers, is really only 1
in 17 million per sexual encounter, then why are so many men turning to
condoms to protect themselves against AIDS? The answer is very simple: they
aren't.
"Consumer Reports" devoted an entire issue to condoms. Not
surprisingly, they discovered that 87% of all males polled did not feel it
necessary to wear a condom to protect themselves against AIDS; 95% of those
over 30 years of age similarly did not feel it necessary to wear a condom. It
should thus come as no surprise that there is not one, single college-educated
male friend I know who has worn a condom for the specific purpose of guarding
against AIDS. And how about sex with an hispanic, Haitian hemophiliac homo
who's on heroin? Fifty-five percent of the males polled in "Consumer Reports"
said it doesn't matter; their sexual practices have remained unchanged in the
face of AIDS.
The only 3 possible advantages that condoms can provide to some men
are: (1) eliminating the possibility of an unwanted pregnancy; (2) providing
justifiably sought peace of mind when engaging in repetitive sexual encounters
with a known member of the high risk group; and (3) enabling those who reach
orgasm easily to prolong the sexual episode. In these instances, and only in
these instances, condoms are a worthwhile solution not only for men, but also
for their partners. However, for those men who customarily engage in sexual
activity with a non-high risk, protected partner and who do not reach orgasm
quickly or easily, condoms can prove to be a nightmare.
Statistics show that almost 60% of males polled have experienced
reduced sensation when wearing a condom. Over 70% stated that condom usage
interfered sporadically with the natural art of lovemaking, and almost 40%
said they felt uncomfortable because they were constantly aware of its
presence. One-fifth of the males noted that sex cannot be as vigorous, for
fear of breakage or slippage. Other negative cites included the requirement
of prompt withdrawal (40%); general embarrassment (15%); and friction (about
5%). Men were, on the average, about twice as critical as women. However,
almost 70% of women shared their counterpart's view that condom usage does
create unwanted interruptions during sex.
"Parents" magazine recently conducted a poll to compute the overall,
present-day reaction to AIDS. They found 87% of those polled, both men and
women, to be "slightly worried" or "not at all worried" about personally
contracting AIDS; in fact, of this 87%, 21% were "slightly worried" and a
significantly larger 66% were "not at all worried". How many were "very
worried"? Only 5%.
The Statistical Insignificance of AIDS
The reason most persons never think twice about AIDS is because it is
truly a statistically irrelevant disease plaguing a strictly confined group of
individuals. Let us take the generous government estimate of 600,000 persons
expected to contract AIDS in the next 4 years; well, that's an average of
150,000 new AIDS victims per year. That seems like a lot of people, right?
Not really. This figure is dwarfed by the number of persons who will die of
cancer and heart disease.
Over 2.1 million of us are in car accidents each year, yet no one
thinks twice about getting behind the wheel; and New York City parkways, being
in the condition they are in, should make it that much more apparent that
absolutely no measures are really being taken to ensure safer roadways. What
about the number of babies that are born prematurely each year and who will
die each year because modern medicine, in its infinite wisdom, has not yet
found a way to artificially keep them alive until they are strong enough to
survive? No woman would avoid pregnancy out of fear of being the mother of a
child such as this ── despite the statistic that there are 40,000 such cases
each year! That's 40,000 non-restrictive deaths ── about 27% as many real
death as projected, confined AIDS deaths! And yet every newly-expectant
mother announces her condition with an ear-to-ear smile.
The world is chock full of 100,000-deaths-a-year causal factors;
these death figures are so insignificant when combined with the aggregate
population, however, and the number of causal factors are so very high, that
medical research grants totalling the national debt probably would not come
even close to scratching the surface for the innumerably required cures. To
avoid the chance of falling victim to driving on one of those flooky roads to
death, one might just as well live in a bomb shelter with purified air and
water. Getting emphezyma from the air we breathe; having a heart attack from
the caffeine in the coffee we drink; becoming HIV-positive after an
unprotected encounter with a stranger ... these are all mathematical
possibilities, yes, but we cannot live our lives in fear of these infinitely
unlikely, 1-in-17-million-odds occurrences causing us serious harm or death.
To do so would be tantamount to living the rest of our natural lives in a
coffin with a glass lid.
It's Legal to Lie
So why is it, then, that so many persons you may know are concerned
with AIDS, you ask? Why does it seem like a lot of people view it as a
serious threat? And why, if all that you have read up to now is true, are you
faced with a multitude of articles and news stories in all forms of media, in
newspapers, magazines, journals, on radio and on television, proclaiming AIDS
to be one of America's biggest challenges and tragedies? The reason is sad
and simple: Sex sells!
Combining greed, money, power and the desired attention by special-
interest groups, we have created an overwhelming onslaught of bogus editorials
and hyped newscasts which make AIDS out to be the present-day polio, out to
kill us all. Thus, we must now examine the ethics of journalism as a whole
and answer the question, "Can we truly trust what we read?" ── and, if not,
why not?
Nearly 80% of the American workforce is in the sphere of information
and communication sectors. These range from media, advertising, public
relations, consulting, telecommunications and computer industries to such
institutions as banking, insurance, education, transportation, bureaucracy and
the legal system. The perceptions, attitudes, values and opinions of the
public at large are shaped by the quantity and quality of information
circulated in our society. Media consultants, communications experts,
informational specialists and political advisors have been hired not to seek
information from the public but rather to use all the available techniques,
methodologies, strategies and resources to manipulate and control it. Their
goal has been to change trends and opinions, not to seek information from the
public.
The only time that the matter of information and communication came
to be a national debate was in the 1940's, when the Commission on Freedom of
the Press issued a report which cited, among other things, the decrease in the
proportion of the people who could express their opinion through the media
adequately, and the engagement of the press "from time to time in practice
which ... will inevitably undertake to regulate or control [society]". It was
the Commission's opinion that the media should provide the citizenry with an
"intelligent account of the day's events". No report or debate of this
magnitude has since been conducted in the U. S., where we must unpleasantly
face the fact, some fifty years later, that information in the media is being
treated mainly as a marked commodity rather than a social commodity.
"The New Yorker" recently published a two-part article by Janet
Malcolm who, in her piece, files a sort of ethical class-action suit against
all reporters. She states:
"[They are all] incorrigible bullies who would dump
their mothers for a decent story. Every journalist who
is not too stupid or too full of himself to notice what
is going on knows that what he does is morally
indefensible. He is a kind of confidence man, preying
on people's vanity, ignorance or loneliness, gaining
their trust and betraying them without remorse."
Says Fred Bruning, staff writer with "Newsday":
"Let's be frank. Do reporters have their tricks?
They do indeed. There is [definite] doubt as to the
rules of ethics and civility in the weightless
atmosphere of hardback publishing and influential
periodicals."
The right to deceive the public got a major boost in August, 1989
after a Federal appeals court upheld a ruling that publications could legally
publish fabricated quotations. In their final 2-1 vote, the majority
concluded:
"Malice will not be inferred from evidence
showing that the quoted language does not contain the
exact words used ... provided that the fabricated
quotations are either rational interpretations or do
not alter the substantive content of [actual remarks]."
The single dissenting judge, Alex Kozinski, wrote:
"This rationale is explosive. What the Court is
saying, in effect, is that if you make statements that
could be reasonably construed as boastful or arrogant,
or callous or stupid or reflecting any other trait or
character or intellect, the reporter may attribute
to you any other statement reflecting that same
trait."
Masquerading fiction as news or history is thusly becoming
increasingly common; and fiction, among its other characteristics, can have a
most considerable influence on cultural attitudes. Producers and editors can
often be as story-crazy as publicists, who not only play competitors against
each other but often try to control assignment of the interviewer. Deals
involve setting conditions for interviews, or where quotes can be changed "as
a favor". One "Wall Street Journal" reporter estimated that 25% of all
interviews at his paper involve such deals, which are usually negotiated in
secret and deprive readers and viewers of knowing how certain stories get
hyped.
"Why should otherwise respectable publications
and TV programs allow themselves to become cogs in the
'rave machine' of modern public relations? Sometimes
a deal is the only way ..."
The practice of checking ostensible facts with the story's subject is
also rapidly declining. "Washingtonian", a prosperous monthly, does an annual
salary survey. Fall, 1989's survey, for example, which lists hundreds of
names linked to specific monetary figures, appears to be based on serious
research. Eight "Time" staffers were cited; says Laurence I. Barrett of
"Time":
"Mystified, several of us agreed that the figures
were wrong, by 30% in one case, and that none of us had
been consulted by 'Washingtonian'. The writer, Robert
Pack, explained: 'You don't call hundreds of people
and ask them what they make because they won't tell
you.' Pack insisted that he had knowledgeable sources
for his numbers. An editor of the 'Washingtonian',
however, acknowledged that such stories are 'ball-park
estimates'. If 'Washingtonian' didn't get MY pay
right, how many other numbers in that story were wrong?
More broadly, if too many news organizations neglect to
check their facts, how long become this becomes
[everyone's problem]? In a business whose cardinal
asset is credibility, that notion should be unsettling."
In his "Time" article "Is it Right to Publish Rumors?", author Walter
Shapiro states as follows:
"Public more may have changed over the past three
decades, but the press still finds itself trapped by
the rituals that govern its coverage of scabrous
gossip. Today the journalistic rules of righteous
rumourmongering have been liberalized. Leading
newspapers and the television networks write and
broadcast artificially crafted stories about the
rumors themselves, thereby spreading calumny while
piously decrying it."
When one journalist starts a rumor, others are quick to "jump on the
bandwagon", despite the true facts and possible consequences. Shapiro
continues:
"How sad and sordid ... is the current rule of
rumor on Capitol Hill. Perhaps the nadir was reached
with the recent press coverage of the baseless charge
that House Speaker Thomas Foley is a homosexual.
Syndicated columnists Roland Evans and Robert Novak
initially helped stir the muck by referring to rumors
about the 'alleged homosexuality of one Democrat who
might move up the succession ladder'. As the gossip
oozed along the halls of Congress, 'New York Daily
News' columnist Lars-Erik Nelson published the
details of the whispering campaign against Foley in
order to finger the staff of Congressman Newt
Gingrich as one of its sources. Never mind that the
Foley rumors were completely false. Once the
Republican National Committee launched its own smear
campaign against the new Speaker, using sniggering
language like 'out of the liberal closet', virtually
every news organization felt compelled to repeat the
slur, regardless of the damage it would cause ...
[H]ow tempting it must be for armchair analysts to
decree that henceforth no responsible publication or
newscast should disseminate unsubstantiated rumors.
But ... would such a high-minded standard also serve
the public interest?"
The public interest, indeed; catching it is what the authors want, as
the more interest there is the higher the publication sales will be. Leonore
Fleishcer or "Publishers Weekly" deems the AIDS crisis nothing more than "a
plague of blame and fear". She cites Monroe E. Price, Dean of the Benjamin N.
Cordozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, who published a work entitled
"Shattered Mirrors: Our Search for Identity and Community in the AIDS Era".
Mr. Price examines the frightening changes in the influential media to present
a message of sexual caution rather than sexual freedom. He states that
television news has become
" ... an electronic pulpit ... a tool with which
public health officials instruct people in how to
think and how to behave during the AIDS crisis. [It
tells us what individuals'] values are and should be,
what conduct will be deemed worthy of imitation and,
as a result, how behavior will be shaped."
So there you have it: a society whose media preys on the weaknesses
and fears of the general public and divinely deems what "acceptable" responses
to these fears should be. The panic has a ceiling, however, and can only
spread so far; let it be known, fortunately for our society, that there are
still many wise Americans who will have rummaged their way through the
inescapable heap of media hype thrown at them and happily emerge with a
personal interpretation of their own, one which comes about only after
examining the manipulative, sadistic greed overpowering the heartless,
insensitive liars behind the frightening, doomsday words.
The Bogus "Masters and Johnson" Report
One of the most respected research teams in the field of sexual
behavior, Masters and Johnson, joined the ranks of the money-hungry, word-
twisting fear-injectors when it published "Crisis: Heterosexual Behavior in
the Age of AIDS". Criticized for failing to submit their results to
scientific review, the medical research community deemed Masters and Johnson's
claim that the AIDS epidemic is "running rampant in the heterosexual
community" bad science, if slick marketing. An elaborate press conference, a
cover story in "Newsweek" and distribution by "The Los Angeles Times
Syndicate" were timed to coincide with the book's publication. Noted for
their innovative studies in human sexual physiology and pioneering work in sex
therapy, most readers in fact do not know that they have rarely submitted
their studies to scientific journals, where the work is supposed to pass the
scrutiny of experts before being published. Says University of California sex
researcher Bernard Zilbergeld, "Their primary aim is to sell themselves and
their books."
Aside from preposterous claims that AIDS can be contracted,
"theoretically at least", via mosquito bites, french kissing, toilet seats and
sliding into second base ("if, by chance, an infected player has bled into it
..."), experts say that the main problem with Masters and Johnson's alarming
AIDS data is, similarly, that their sample is drastically skewed, that is, not
representative of the nation as a whole. The sex researchers, with co-author
Dr. Robert Koldony, studied 800 people in New York, Los Angeles, St. Louis and
Atlanta. One-half claimed to be monogamous and one-half claimed to have had 6
sex partners per year for the previous 5 years. The participants further
stated in questionnaires that they had not engaged in homosexual activity or
used drugs. Only one of the monogamous subjects was found injected with the
AIDS virus, compared with 24 or 6% in the sexually active group, a rate 5 to
10 times higher than that found in patients at clinics for sexually
transmitted diseases, a very high risk population.
"This is just plain bad science," says Dr. John Bailar, a
biostatistician at McGill University in Montreal and consultant to the U. S.
government and "The New England Journal of Medicine". She continues:
"The sample of people they chose, or who chose
themselves, is totally biased. You can't come to any
broad conclusions from this, even if you assume that
the subjects told them the truth about their sexual
habits."
The study participants were volunteers who responded to notices
placed at churches, childbirth classes, colleges and singles gathering spots.
Masters and Johnson apparently inserted a disclaimer in the book stating that
their results "cannot be easily generalized", but critics say Masters and
Johnson and Kolodny did just that: they used their data to assert that AIDS
is spreading rapidly and that 200,000 heterosexuals in the U. S. are now
infected, not the 30,000 estimated by the CDC, which figures place the number
of heterosexuals with AIDS at 2% of the entire AIDS population. Says Dr.
James Curran of CDC:
"The problem has become more exaggerated in coverage
of AIDS because of the severe life-and-death implications.
This life-and-death journalistic rollercoaster leaves the
public wondering what to believe."
U. S. Surgeon General C. Everett Koop promptly called the work
"irresponsible" and accused Masters and Johnson of "scare tactics". New York
City Health Commissioner Dr. Stephen Joseph stated:
"They pile their statements, each holding a thin
layer of established fact, on top of one another like
slices of bologna."
A "Chicago Tribune" editorial blasted the "panic-peddling book" and
"The New York Times" decried its "false alarms about AIDS", all while
frightened readers jammed AIDS hotlines seeking clarification and comfort.
Perhaps some consolation was received by their being warmly reassured that
"The Journal of the American Medical Association" has scientifically disproven
the theory that "deep kissing" can lead to death. Not one single case has
ever been attributed to infection brought on by french kissing. Explains Jay
Levy of The University of California at San Francisco:
"The AIDS virus is not present in saliva. Saliva
is a hostile environment for the AIDS virus. In fact,
it will kill half the viruses exposed to it within 30
minutes."
In their defense, Masters and Johnson argue that it is up to the
medical community to prove them wrong. As a practical matter, however,
scientists cannot prove that something will never happen. Even so, in a dozen
studies conducted on some 500 persons living with AIDS-infected relatives, not
one single case of casual transmission has occurred, even though they shared
toothbrushes, toilets, cups, plates, toys and bed linens. "They've created a
straw man," says CDC's Curran, "Let THEM prove it's true!" Says Joanne
Silbernerer in her recent work in "U. S. News & World Report":
"Science is a gradual process; journalism isn't.
Why do we fall for it? The media reports the latest
discoveries, which are all too often taken as gospel.
Even when studies are reported in reputable journals,
they can be misconstrued."
At least with Masters and Johnson, some publications evidently saw
warning flags. "Time" and "The Boston Globe" were invited to bid for rights
to excerpt the book, and declined. "We felt it was determinedly alarming,"
said "Time" senior editor Russ Hoyle. The book, published by Grove Press
after several other publishers reportedly turned it down, didn't lack buyers.
"The Los Angeles Times Syndicate", the German magazine "Stern" and France's
"Paris Match" bought rights. As one editor precisely observed, and as
hereinbefore stated, "Sex sells."
You Don't Get Heard
It does not pay to be the bearer of good news. Since 1987, Michael
Fumento has been trying to spread the reassuring word that AIDS is not going
to carry off millions of Americans, that AIDS will not devastate the
heterosexual population, that AIDS is not the late 20th Century version of the
black death. As a result, Fumento lost his job as AIDS expert at the U. S.
Commission on Civil Rights, had a generous fellowship offer rescinded, and has
been told that he is not a nice person. Fumento, author of the recently
published book "The Myth of Heterosexual AIDS", argues that AIDS is not a
disease that is easily transmitted, meaning the universe of Americans likely
to be infected by it is clearly circumscribed. Arguing that monogamy buffs in
the Reagan administration were using AIDS as a tool to terrify sexually
adventurous Americans with a "chastity or death" message, Fumento did not get
in trouble for offending the gay liberals ... he got in trouble for offending
the conservatives.
Essentially, Fumento denounces as "worthless" and "garbage" most of
the projections about the size of the AIDS epidemic, noting that most
information disseminated in the press has been provided by crackpots, while a
great deal of the statistical data generated by the CDC is high-class
guesswork. In his work "The Incredible Shrinking AIDS Epidemic", Fumento
argues that new infections among homosexuals have dropped dramatically because
word about AIDS is out, while the number of drug users left to be exposed has
topped out because there are only so many drug users and partners left to
contaminate.
In his "Forbes" article, author Joseph Quinnan states:
"Fumento feels that alarming projections about the
spread of AIDS into the heterosexual population served
the interests of several groups. One group was
journalists, who revel in nightmarish stories and are
willing to cite the most dire statistics, even when the
numbers are supplied by 'experts' with dubious
credentials, or by certain organizations whose
epidemiological prowess is in question. 'It's a
bumper sticker disease,' he remarks, suggesting that
scaring the daylights out of white, middle-class
suburbanites may have been the only way AIDS activists
could have corralled the dollars needed to combat a
disease whose principal victims are socially
unfashionable black females and homosexuals."
Says Fumento:
"AIDS will go down from an epidemic to an endemic
level within just a few years. If someone had come up
with a 'cure' a couple of years ago, he would have
been hailed as the new Jonas Salk. But now, when AIDS
vaccine is discovered, people will say, 'Oh, that's
good, that's great, that's a good thing ..."
When "Newsweek" jumped on the bogus Masters and Johnson survey in
support of its alleged validity, Michael Fumento joined those who criticized
the survey in an article in "The New Republic". Alas, the circulation of "The
New Republic" is 92,500, while the circulation of "Newsweek" is 3,198,000!
So, the mass of the public will hear what they want to believe ... another
frightening statistic ... regardless of sociological implications. "No wonder
we're hysterical, from denial or paranoia," states author John Leonard in his
recent "Ms." article as he vehemently lashes out against a world of
publications deliberately outpouring misinformation. "It depends on the
magazine that's messing with our minds." He further states:
"[W]hat we think we know is determined entirely
by the information environment. It's as if they're
screaming at us from transistors in the cavities of
our teeth, and they don't care if they're telling
the truth or not. We haven't the tuners and
amplifiers to steer through this static. No
historical bifocals for a close reading of the
facts. No previous experience nor any guru to help
us feel our way. As perhaps never before, we are
dependent on the conscienceless, retina-eating media
for all the weather in our heads. What this amounts
to is a shameful unknowingness, a crime."
Psychiatric Delusions in Some
In its article "The AIDS Delusion", the magazine "Science News" set
forth an example of one of the terrifying consequences that twisted, tattered
words can have on some of us who are not strong enough to properly distinguish
fact from fiction:
"Here's a new twist in the controversy over
AIDS testing. A small but increasing number of
people with psychiatric disorders are demanding to
be tested for the AIDS virus as a result of
delusions that they have contracted the deadly
disease. In three cases described in 'The
American Journal of Psychiatry', this erroneous
belief that AIDS has been contracted disappeared
with successful treatment of the person's severe
depression or manic depression. The patients have
no symptoms of AIDS, are not intravenous drug users
and report no homosexual experiences. If testing
for the AIDS virus is nonetheless conducted, the
researchers note, these patients usually find a
way to explain away negative results and hang on
to their delusion until the underlying psychiatric
disorder is addressed. As AIDS becomes a fixture
in the media in public consciousness, it may
increasingly affect the delusions of people with
psychiatric disorders, the investigators conclude."
Conclusion
In summary, AIDS is a frightening disease and AIDS is a deadly
disease ... but AIDS is a distant disease, light years away from people like
you and I in the realistic world of mathematical probability and true facts.
My personal likelihood of contracting it, while unprotected and from a
stranger, has been calculated at 1 in 17 million; yours, equally minute. It
is not disputed that there is justifiable reason to be cautious, however there
is certainly no cause for exaggerated and unnecessary fear and preoccupation.
Almost all males do not feel it necessary to wear condoms as a guard against
AIDS; condoms are primarily reluctantly used as a method of birth control, and
evoke widespread criticism for the reduction of sensation they produce.
Almost all men and women polled state they are "slightly" or "not at all"
worried about contracting aids, thus the ideals of the minority can be
attributed to the great influx of bogus, hype articles about AIDS that plague
the American media and frighten the American public. A California court, in
1989, upheld a law permitting publications to legally publish fabricated
quotes, and reported news continues to become reported fiction. Even Masters
and Johnson, one of the most noteworthy and respected teams of sex researchers
in the U. S., published a totally fictitious book based on non-scientific data
and was blasted by the U. S. Surgeon General. Yet, countless other fabricated
AIDS books by less well-known authors have been bought, read and believed by
hundreds of thousands of persons, not surprisingly accounting for the creation
of a group of people who have delusions of having AIDS or getting AIDS, even
after negative HIV test results.
What to Do
If you plan on having sex with someone who is in the high risk group,
use protection. If you plan on having sex with someone on a regular basis and
do not want children, use protection regardless of the person's group status.
But if you meet someone who is not in the high risk group and would like to
have sex with this person without having a relationship, be free, live free,
remove all inhibitions, relax and enjoy, for there truly is nothing to fear
... unless you've already slept with 17 million or so other persons, at which
point yes, I'd definitely be careful!
*
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IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PLACE A CLASSIFIED AD IN "SCAM!" MAGAZINE: Leave a
PRIVATE message for THE PRODUCER on The Rune Stone BBS (see above). Your real
name, address, etc. are NOT needed to place classified ads. You may leave
your handle, e-mail address and/or BBS message area where others can respond
to your ad. NO FEE IS REQUIRED! Classified ads MUST conform to the general
content of "SCAM!" magazine. Classified ads for "conservative" BBS's (e.g.
BBS's containing shareware programs, games, etc.) will NOT be posted, so
please don't waste my time! Classified ads containing actual credit card
numbers, passwords, etc. will NOT be posted, simply because the posting of
such information would be clearly illegal; however, classified ads that
contain SOURCES to obtain this information are acceptable and, in fact, are
encouraged. Classified ads will be posted based upon their content and at the
sole and exclusive discretion of THE PRODUCER. In your request, please don't
forget to specifically state that you wish a classified ad, or else your info
will simply be treated confidentially and I will not know to post it. Please
help make "SCAM!" magazine grow by submitting your classified ad today!
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THE DWELLING RETURNS ... ELITENESS UP TO YOUR ASS! (516) GO2-HELL
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IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR ARTICLE PUBLISHED IN "SCAM!" MAGAZINE: "SCAM!"
magazine is searching for new "Field Researchers"! If you have something you
feel is valuable to the readers of "SCAM!" and would like to submit it for
consideration, please do so! Here's how: Leave a PRIVATE message for THE
PRODUCER on The Rune Stone BBS (see above). In this message, state the
following: (1) your handle; (2) a brief (please!) description of your
offering; (3) about how many pages is it?; (4) a BBS that you belong to, other
than The Rune Stone BBS; and (5) newuser password and logon info for that
other BBS. Generally only articles, in ASCII form, will be accepted;
executable programs, unless VERY useful and VERY small, cannot be considered
simply due to the forum. Please post your proposed article in ZIP, ARJ or LHA
on that other BBS (not the Rune Stone!) If your article seems really
worthwhile, it will be downloaded, reviewed and ultimately published. In your
request, please don't forget to specifically state that you wish an article
published, or else your info will simply be treated confidentially and I will
not know to consider it. Please help make "SCAM!" magazine grow by submitting
your articles for consideration today!
*** "SCAM!" SUGGESTION: ***
If you would like to keep your article confidential
prior to its appearance in "SCAM!", do the following: Place
the article in "ZIP" form on the other BBS, but add PKZIP
encryption to the file. In your private message, leave the
key. That way, no one else can read the article.
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EDITORIALS AND SUGGESTION BOX. All articles in "SCAM!" magazine are subject to
EDITORIAL REPLY by my readers. This is a free country and you're entitled to
respond, so PLEASE DO SO! I welcome your thoughts and ideas. Do you have any
suggestions on how to make "SCAM!" better, or what you'd like to see in
"SCAM!"?? Was there something in "SCAM!" you disagree with, or would like to
have clarified?? Is there a particular scam you'd like to pull off, but don't
know how?? Leave a PRIVATE message for THE PRODUCER on The Rune Stone BBS and
let your editorial replies be heard for future publications of this magazine!
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║ UNTIL NEXT TIME, HAPPY "SCAM!"S & BE WELL!! ║
║ ║
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╠╬╣█████████████████ T H E P R O D U C E R ████████████████╠╬╣
╠╩╝ ╚╩╣
║ SNEEZING, COUGHING, CHOKING AND GASPING FOR ║
║ UNPOLLUTED AIR IN GOD'S COUNTRY ... ║
║ NEW YORK STATE, U. S. A.! ║
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The End