P/HUN Issue #4, Volume 2: Phile 4 of 11

Vital Credit Card Information and Usage

or Fun with Numbers revision A

Compiled, and made intelligible by The Sparrow

** MANY Thanks to Codebreaker; for without him I would be lost. (in JFK?) A big thankyou to The White Rider for proof-reading this. ( If you find any mistakes, BLAME HIM!!! HAHAHA)

Hello to: Fry Guy ("You've got to hear about this new scam. . .") Video Vindicator ("Fly down and let's go casing!")

Completion Date: Tuesday, November Twenty-second, in the year of our Lord, one thousand, nine hundred, eighty eight, 3:39 am.

Last Updated On: Tuesday, March Twenty-second, in the year of our Lord, one thousand, nine hundred, eighty nine, 5:01 am.

The following is list of ideas and facts that have been brought together for the sole purpose of educating those who lack this knowledge. In writing this, I do not intend for the reader to use any information contained herein, but rather to further his/her own education and provoke thought to perhaps better the society we live in.

I. Card Types

The first digit of the credit card number (henceforth referred to as CCN) determines the credit card type. A simple list might be:
  First Digit of Credit Card              Card Type
  --------------------------              ---------

           3                          American Express
           4                                Visa
           5                             Mastercard
           6                              Discover

II. Bank and Branch Numbers

                         Sample Credit Card: 1234 567 890 123
                                               ^
                                               |
                                        [called Group 4]
Within the first group of numbers from the left [called Group 4] the Bank name and branch are contained. We have already discovered that the first digit of Group 4 reveals the card type. We will now look at how to decipher which bank issued the card, and which branch of the bank the actual card holder banks at. Look at the Second, Third, and Fourth digits of Group 4. These three numbers tell which bank issued the card. A small list follows this paragraph, although you can compile a list by yourself. Just glance at cards you get your hands on which the bank name is printed, and record the information. [ Editor's Note: This is a hard concept to explain, so let me give you an example. Lets say Bank of Hicksville's group 4 Visa Credit Card reads 4560. (560 = Bank of Hicksville). BUT, 4561 is NOT necessarily Bank of Hicksville, too. 4561 could be Bank of Booniesville. So what I am trying to get across is that the next bank in line doesn't HAVE to be 4570 -- it could be earlier in numbers. ]

VISA

  
 Group 4            Bank Name           
--------            ---------    
  4019              Bank of America              
  4024              Bank of America
  4052              First Cincinatti  
  4060              Navy Federal Credit Union 
  4128              Citibank             
  4131              State Street Bank
  4215              Marine Midland
  4225              Chase Manhattan  
  4231              Chase Lincoln First Classic
  4232              Chase Lincoln First Classic
  4241              Nat. Westminester Bank    
  4250              First Chicago Bank
  4271              Citibank Preferred
  4302              H.H.B.C.
  4310              Imperial Savings
  4317              Gold Dome  
  4387              Bank One             
  4428              Bank of Hoven
  4811              Bank of Hawaii
  4897              Village bank of Cincinatti

Mastercards

 Group 4            Bank Name 
---------           ---------

  5215              Marine Midland 
  5217              Manufacturers Hanover Trust
  5233              Huntington Bank   
  5242              Chevy Chase Federal Savings
  5254              Bank of America
  5263              Chemical Bank              
  5273              Bank of America
  5286              Chase Lincoln First 
  5317              Norwest               
  5323              Bank of New York 
  5329              Maryland Bank NA (MBNA)    
  5410              Citibank Preferred        
  5411              1st Fin. bank of Omaha      
  5414              Nat. Westminester Bank
  5415              Colonial National Bank
  5424              Citibank                 
  5465              Chase Manhattan     
  5678              Marine Midland          

III. Bank Codes [ International Bank or Interlink Numbers]

These are used in checking credit. Later on, you will learn that while checking the credit cards for the amount of credit, you will be prompted to enter the Bank ID along with the Merchant ID. The bank IDs are, I believe, from the following list. One note-- you cannot just choose any Bank ID and use it with any merchant ID. They must correspond in some way. How, I don't know. I THINK that a bank issues a merchant number to each of their customers. If you try to use a merchant number with a bank number, and the merchant doesn't actually use the bank that is specified by the bank number, you are going to get some problems. (ie, the verification won't go through.) Again, I will state that this is only a theory. The reason that I post this theory is to get minds working. So far, no one has mentioned their ideas on the function of Bank Codes. If you do happen to find out the true meaning of these numbers, please get in touch with me so I can update this list. Thanks. One word- on VISA credit cards, the bank IDs are the first 4 digits of the Card. For Mastercards, however, they vary. A list follows:
     Bank                       Bank Code
     ----                       ---------
 Chemical Bank                    1263
 Marine Midland                   6207 [1207?]
 Manufacturers Hanover Trust      1033
 Citibank                         1035
 Huntington                       1226
 First Card Gold                  1286  
 MBNA                             6017
 Chase Manhatten                  1665
 [ Bank from 5127 ]               1015

IV. "Group 3"

Sample Credit Card: 1234 5678 9012 3456 
                           ^
                           |
                           |
                         Group 3
Group 3, or the second group on a credit card in from the left, contains some VERY useful information about the card. This group holds the information on the Maximum Expiration Date and the Maximum Credit Limit. (I believe that you can all see the benefits of this.) This does not mean, however, that the ACTUAL expiration date and ACTUAL credit limit are in this group. What it means is this: When the different Credit Card Companies issue Credit Cards to the consumer, he of course has a credit limit. And when the Companies formulate credit cards, they create certain groups for certain customers. That is, certain "groups" contain all the credit cards for people with a credit limit between $x and $y. The same thing goes with the expiration dates. Everyone whose card expires after m1/y1 and before m2/y2 has their credit card in a certain group formulated by the company. For example: My name is Joe Schmoe. My Visa credit card expires in January of the year 1999. My credit limit on this card is $7,000. My credit card number (CCN) will probably be in the same group as my brother-in-law Jack Koff whose card expires in December of 1998 and whose credit limit is $6,000. BUT, our cards will be in different groups entirely than my boss' whose card expires in June of 1995 and whose credit limit is $40,000.

Back to the point of section IV: Lets say you have a credit card with a known expiration date and known credit limit. Lets also say that you happen upon ANOTHER credit card whose numbers are the same up until the last 2 groups. (You and I see that these two cards were issued by the same bank and PROBABLY have a credit limit in the same ball park and an expiration date not far from each other. ) BUT, even though you have this new credit card, you lost the expiration date and credit limit. GOSH! How are you going to use this card when you don't know this information?? APROXIMATE! You have a general idea now, and you can go from there.

One warning here: I have found that small groups of cards with high credit limits are often hidden in between large groups of cards with very low credit limits. For instance, lets look at this card: 4123 4567 8901 2345. From -4567 until 4600 in group 3 (from the right) gold cards may exist. But after 4600 and before 4567, cards with credit limits of $500 exist. Kind of sucks, huh?? Just wanted to make you aware of this.

Now, once you learn how to modify these without hurting the card, you have increased your value as a carder by 100x. But be careful. Often when you modify a card's group 3 to get a higher credit limit line of cards, you will find the entire line is dead. Or, in other cases, just the original card you find is dead, and all surrounding cards are valid with the new credit limits.

V. "Group 2" & "Group 1"

These two groups, or the last two groups on the credit card, are the easiest to modify. By changing these in such a way, you can formulate new credit cards simply by doing a little math in your head. These two groups contain the IDentification codes. Later on in your carding careers, you might find out how to change these, and thus, you have found the secret to a vault of new and awaiting credit cards. I stress here that the only purpose that these two groups serve is to differentiate between customers. If the first two groups of two cards are the same and the last two groups of two cards are different, the two cards were issued by the same bank and probably have similar credit limits, but are of course issued to different people.

VI. Credit Card Verification

Once you have a newly formulated or newly found Credit Card, you must first check to see if it is valid before you distribute or use it. The reason for this is this: Although you may not have faltered in your calculations, and you created a credit card following the correct formula, the card may turn up as invalid. This is because it has not been issued yet. Visa or Mastercard has not issued that card to a customer yet. You are ahead of the credit card company. (Don't you feel important??!) If this case arises, simply formulate a new credit card from the original valid credit card, and check it once again. There is no known way around this except to wait.

OKAY- you want to check your credit card and see how much money this person has. There are many, many credit verifiers around. The easiest way to get ahold of one is to go into any store which accepts credit cards and look on the side of the machine that imprints the carbons with the credit card number, etc. Or, look right on the wall next to the register. There should be a number to call, a merchant number, and perhaps a bank number. Jot these down and head on home. The format for these is usually different, but all have the basic idea in mind. Call an operator of some sort, tell her the authorization information that she asks for (bank number,merchant number, etc) and give her the card and the amount for which to verify the card. She will check and let you know if it has enough credit left. Simple. BUT***

******************* ONE NOTE ********************** When you check a card for a certain amount of money, that amount of money is subtracted from the amount available on the card. For example, if a card has $5,000 left on it, and you get ahold of it and check it for $2,000, you can only spend $3,000 before it tells you that you don't have the necessary credit to go through with a transaction.

VII. Purchasing Merchandise: The Real Story

OKAY, now that you have a VALID credit card, you will most likely want to get some newly acquired merchandise. This is all fine and dandy, but if you don't know what you are doing, you can get yourself and most likely your friends in a LOT of trouble.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
*** WARNING : NEVER ORDER SOMETHING FROM YOUR HOUSE. ALWAYS GO OUT TO A ***
*** PAY PHONE. ALSO, ALWAYS HAVE A STORY WORKED OUT BEFORE YOU CALL.    ***
*** THAT IS, YOUR NAME, ADDRESS, JOB, PHONE NUMBER, EXCUSE FOR NOT BEING***
*** HOME, MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME, ETC. ANY STUTTERING OR HESITATION COULD ***
*** BLOW THE WHOLE SHOW !!!  !!!  !!!  !!!  !!!  !!!  !!!  !!!  !!!  !!!***
---------------------------------------------------------------------------

FIRST- Let me clarify something. When you order something over the phone, and the person selling you the items wants to know the actual Cardholder's name, address, phone number, etc, you DO NOT have to give him/her the correct information. [UNLESS: You do have to give the person correct information if they have an online connection to a credit record bureau such as CBI or TRW. In this case, as they can verify everything that you say in a matter of moments, just do your best, get a new card, and never order from this company again. I will not lie to you: some companies do have this capability. But if you stick with little bussinesses who need your money, you'll do fine. ] Bullshit your way through. Or hire a social engineer to do it for you. You do not even have to give the correct expiration date! Almost Any expiration date will work as long as it is at least one month ahead of the current month and it is not TOO far ahead in time so that it jumped over the actual expiration date. (ie, if the current date is 10/89, give the expiration date 11/89 -- simple) The company from which you are buying things can not verify the extra information YOU give them until after the order has been processed and the package shipped. They have to get in touch with a Credit Union, which will be discussed later on in this summary, to verify it all. * ALL THAT THEY CAN VERIFY PRONTO IS THAT THE CREDIT CARD IS VALID, AND THAT IT HAS ENOUGH CREDIT TO PAY FOR THE MERCHANDISE YOU ARE PURCHASING. * My suggestion, however, is that you give them the phone number of a pay phone near your house. [ Or, if you want to REALLY make sure things go smoothly, give them the number of a direct dial VMB local to the shipping address. ] If they want to call you back, FINE. Ask them to do so between the hours of X pm and Y pm. And, just pitch tent at the phone for a few hours a night. No problem. They will almost always call right back, since they don't want to inconvenience their customer who happens to be buying $6,000 worth of computers at the time. Understand?

SECOND- Where should I ask have them ship it to, you ask? Fret not, my little friend in carding. Before you call and order your things, first go out and find an abandoned house. These still work best. Either one that has been moved out of, and no one has moved into yet. Or, if you can, find one that is REALLY abandoned. (BUT MAKE SURE IT HAS A STREET ADDRESS THAT THE POSTMAN OR UPS MAN CAN FIND!) Jot down this address. This is referred to as a drop site. [ Ed. Note: if, and I say IF you can rent a mailbox, do so. Make sure they sign for everything (UPS, etc) and bring some FAKE ID with you to open it up. Most of the time, they will give you hastle, and verify EVERYTHING you give them. So it is really not that easy to get one of these. At least try, though. ] OKAY, give this address to the man or lady who is taking your order. Tell them this is where you live. REMEMBER, they can not verify that you don't live there for quite a while. They will send everything there. When the shipment comes (either Overnight, Second Day, or whenever), pick it up (CASUALLY) and stroll home to open your package. If it does not come, or if the salesperson gives you trouble, don't worry. If it didn't come, it is because 1) It got intercepted by the feds or 2) The company didn't process it because they did actually try to verify your address, name, and phone number, thus delaying your shipment, but saving themselves a lot of money. Just try another store until you find some place that is easy to buy from.

THIRD- I suggest that you do not furnish your household with carded items. It is just not wise. Get a few things, if you like, and wait a little while. Sit tight. When things cool down, you might want to get some more things. REMEMBER- all things are good in proportion, but when you get out of that proportion (ie, get greedy and order a new house) you will most definately get caught sometime or another. Patience is the carder's best friend. (along, of course, with the VISA formula... hehe)

FOURTH- You have all heard it before. DON'T DISPLAY YOUR SPEICAL TALENT AT SCHOOL, PARTIES, OR SOCIAL EVENTS. Not even to your best friends. ESPECIALLY not to your best friends. They are the ones most likely to brag about you and spread the word. This is the farthest thing from what you want. Keep it to yourself, and if you must tell someone about it, either call Phone Sex, a Bridge, or an Alaskan Operator. Those are your only choices, as no other carder or phreak wants to hear about how good you actually are.

FIFTH- I wouldn't advise making a bussiness out of this, either. Sure, if you want to get a few dollars for things you order (and that you don't want anymore) sell it and keep the money. But its purely asinine to take "orders" from people for money. And even if you don't want money. Keep in mind that Credit Fraud IS a felony, and getting caught violating US Federal Laws is not a fun experience to go through. Do you want to go to jail for 10 years, and never again be able to get a good job because Joey down the street wanted to pay $10 for a new skateboard that retails for $75?? Thats what I thought. Your whole goal in life, as long as you participate in the Underground Arts, is to keep a low profile.

VIII. Getting Credit Cards

There are a number of ways through which you can get credit cards.

FIRST- Go trashing. That is, go in back of a bank, department store (make sure it is not in a mall!), or other store which accepts credit cards. When the coast is clear, jump in their trash bin. Rummage around a bit. Having a look out might prove to be wise. What you are looking for are carbons - the carbon paper which the salesperson throws out after a purchase has been made. Remember these? It is the device that guarentees you (a legit customer) get a receipt of your credit card purchase, and also that the store gets a copy for record keeping. Once you find these, (and making sure you don't rip them) put them in a bag, pocket, whatever, and get somewhere safe. (home?) Hold them up to the light, and copy down everything you think is important. Card Number, expiration date, name, address, bank name, etc... Then BURN the carbons. This destroys all evidence that you ever had them. From here, you are set. Order away!

SECOND- If you have a friend that works in a store which performs credit card transactions, you might save yourself the trouble of banana peals on your head and ask him/her if they might not mind slipping the carbons into a bag after they ring up a sale. (or have them copy everything down for you.)

THIRD- You might try bullshitting people and getting their cards. You have to be VERY good, and the person has to be VERY stupid for this to work. In my mind, it is a waste of time, and almost never works. (Because people where I live are smart, of course..) I am presenting this to you in case you live in a society of morons. Exploit every area that you possibly can. The conversation might go something like this:

YOU: "Hello, Mrs. Davis? This is Mr. Off from Security down at Citibank. We have had a computer breakdown and no more of your VISA transactions can be processed since we lost your credit card number. Do you think that you can give me your number again, so I can re-enter it right now?"

Mrs. Davis: "Wait a minute, who is this again?"

YOU: "My name is Jack Off and I am from Citibank Security. (Explain whole situation to her again )"

Mrs. Davis: "I don't know about this. Can I call you back at a number?"

YOU: "Sure. That's no problem. I understand your reluctance. Here... call me at my office. Its 555-1212 (pay phone, loop, or bridge which you are at)"

Mrs. Davis: "Ok, bye!"

YOU: "Hello? This is Jack Off's office, Citibank Security, may I help you?"

Mrs. Davis: "Oh, good. I was afraid you were a phony. Ok, my VISA is xxxx- xxx-xxx-xxx... "

YOU: "Thank you. We will try to restore your credit limit as soon as possible. Until then, please refrain from trying to purchase merchandise on your Citibank Visa Card. Goodbye."

Neat, huh?

FOURTH- If are a really advanced Carder, you can get fancy and use a credit card formula. Great, you're saying to yourself. GIMME GIMME GIMME! Not so quick. Although several do exist, and I do have a couple of them, I am in a situation in which I am unable to reveal it. If you are particularly smart and intelligent, you can develope it yourself. Actually, it is not that hard if you have the means. MAYBE if you are good at math....

FIFTH- You may try to get credit cards from other people. (friends?) I stronly recommend against this. Usually the cards you get from other people have usually already been used and are either being watched or are already dead.

SIXTH- If you have access to a Credit Union, you can call and "pull" someone else's account. (For instance, if you know someone's name and address, or social security, you can take a look at all of their loans and credit cards. )

IX. Advanced "Carding" Techniques

Please, people, I beg of you -- If you have not been carding for a year or two (AT LEAST) do not read this information. It will only confuse you, and even if you understand it, it will not work as it should unless you have the experience you are lacking. So sit tight and practice with parts I-VIII. PLEASE!

If, perchance, you happen to have the experience necessary to read on, then enjoy this. The following are simply a few details, hints, etc, that I just left out of the original manuscript due to my horrendous memory. Add to it if you like, and pass it a long. We all need to help each other if we are going to survive. Also, the following are in no particular order except that which they come to my head.

  1. For a drop site, you can try to get fancy if need be. I have heard of empty military huts being used as well as empty condos, empty houses whose owners are on vacation, and about a zillion other stories. If you think you have come across something new, think a plan up, think it over, and think it over again. Make sure you have every step down so when you order, pick up, and make your escape, there are no problems. Think about it . . . what harm does it do to spend an hour making sure you didn't overlook something. It is a lot better than going there and getting caught.

  2. Sometimes the places you order from will have an online account with a credit record bereau. (Such as TRW, CBI or Transunion) The horrifying fact is that they can verify ONLINE ANY information that you give them. So, you're busted, right? Wrong . . . If this happens, there is nothing you can do unless you have a lot of power with phones. Chances are, you don't. So play it cool and give an excuse to get off the phone. Just try somewhere else. Also, if you don't do this right, you will probably kill the credit card.

X. Credit Unions

Credit Unions basically are databases that hold information of its members. When you apply for a credit card, I think that the application to be a member of a Credit Union is presented also. Since almost EVERY person who owns a credit card has personal information in at least one of these services, then there is no fooling he who has access to these services. Many times in your carding career, you will run into a bussiness who has an online connection to such unions. If you try to present false information they will catch you and follow up with the appropriate actions. (That is, report the credit card you said is yours as dead, call the authorities, etc, etc.)

Two of the major Credit Bureaus in the United States are TRW and CBI. As these two services hold large bases of information on its members (ie, every credit card holder in America), many unauthorized personnel often wish to gain access to them. They are accessed through a computer by calling a Bureau port and entering authorization passwords.

For CBI, the passwords are in the format of nnnllnnn-**, where n=a number 0-9; where l=a letter from a-z; and where *=any character.

For TRW, the passwords are in the form of lllnnnnnnnlnl. (using the same key as CBI.)

As you can see from the length and complexity of these passwords, it is literally impossible to hack them. (ie, hack in the sense guess them.) So you are probably wondering how unauthorized persons gain access, huh? Well, we either have inside information or we go trashing. Thats it.

Right now, however, I am not going to go any further into the subject of credit unions. Be aware that they exist, and they can help you as well as hurt you if you don't know what you are doing. At a later date I plan on devoting an entire file to the subject of credit unions, as I haven't seen an up-to-date file in years.

Thats about all. I wish you all good luck, and may your adventures be safe and fun-filled. And if I EVER catch any of you giving out the credit formula (once you discover it..) I am going to personally fly over and kick your ass. (remember- I have carded tickets around the country many times. There is nothing to stop me from visiting YOUR town.. hahaha)

One final note -- VISA is planning on changing their credit formula within a few years. So if you happen to be reading this many a year down the line, you will most likely discover that some of this is no longer valid. DONT BLAME ME. It was valid at the time when I compiled it.

APPENDIX A

Credit Card Formats

American Express -- xxxx xxxxxx xxxxx
                     \/    \/    \/
                     /     |      \
                    /      |       \ 
            4 digits   6 digits     5 digits

VISA -- xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
        \_________________/
        4 digits each group
      
               OR

     -- xxxx xxx xxx xxx
         \/  \_________/
         /    3 digits each
 4 digits


Mastercard -- xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
              \_________________/
              4 digits each group


Discover -- xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx
             \_________________/
             4 digits each group.

APPENDIX B

Credit Verifiers

1800-554-2265. Use '#' (pound) as control key.
     
     Card Type:    10 = Mastercard
                   20 = Visa
                     
     Bank Identification:   1067

     Merchant Number(s): 1411
                         52
IDEA:: You all know those sex lines (like 800-666-LUST), well they verify your credit card before they let you listen. You might try calling one of these and using it for a while if you have nothing else.

APPENDIX C

Other Things to Do

  1. Plane Tickets It is relatively easy to order plane tickets using a credit card nowadays. And, for convenience, you can order over the phone. Well, look up your favorite airline, call them, and present them with the situation. You would like 2 executive class tickets to Florida [ Ed. Note - If you live in Florida, make it a trip to California ] round trip to be billed to your Visa Credit Card. Oh sure, maam. My credit card number is . My expiration date is . My Name is Joe Schmoe. I live at 223 Hard On Lane, Pubic Hair, PA. Oh, and maam, could you PLEEAZE hold the tickets at the airport for me. I will present some identification to pick them up there. Thank you. It is relatively easy to do this. But, there are a few catches.

    • Do NOT stay for any long period of time at any one place. After few days, the airline will catch on to what you have done. My suggestion is that you stay for only about 2 to 3 days. Or, if you really want to stay for a long time, get a one way ticket to wherever it is that you would like to go to. Stay however long you want to stay and take another 1 way ticket home.
    • If you plan on traveling around the country, catch one way tickets around from place to place. And please, USE DIFFERENT AIRLINES!
  2. Motorcycles

    Again, you would be surprised at the amount of work (or lack of it) required to aquire motorcycles on other people's credit cards. I believe you can all see the advantages, so let us get down to the procedure. First, set up an order under a corporate account. You can find these sometimes if you work in a store that would use such cards. (Look over shoulders) Well, I will leave to you the methods to come upon corporate account cards. Once you have them, finish the procedure. Step 2 is to send an "employee" (yourself or a stupid friend) to pick it up. Bring proper identification that was issued from the corporation. (I suggest making your own -- Not very hard). Offer a Voice Mail Box as your bussiness number. It is very common for a high level employee to be absent from his desk. Use your imagination for the rest, and tidy it up to perfect it.

  3. Travelers Cheques

    OKAY, I will admit this is getting out of hand, but what the hell -- For those of you very daring and in possession of a very good form of false identification (Birth Certificate?), you can easily order some American Express Traveler's Cheques for your travels around the world. The number to call is 1-800-777-7337. Using your American Express Credit Card, order some of these "babies" in another name. (For a gift..) Have them delivered as you deem appropriate. Enjoy them thouroughly. [ Ed. Note: This number is active as of 12-20-88. I don't know if these offer this service year round. Find out! ]