FW: FYI - Telephone Scam

[david at thekramers.net (David Kramer)]

On Tuesday 11 February 2003 10:28 am, dsr at tao.merseine.nu wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 11, 2003 at 07:02:28AM -0800, Steve wrote:
> > A supposedly very serious, affecting everybody, etc. problem that
> > receives no media coverage outside of the email. Check.
>
> Actually, the Globe ran a story on this sometime in the last few
> years... covering several email chain letters.
>
> > >>I was further informed that this scam has been originated from many
> > >>local jails/prisons.  I have also verified this information with UCB
> > >>Telecom, Pacific Bell, MCI, Bell Atlantic, and GTE.
> >
> > Unverified appeal to authority. "I contacted them so you don't have to.
> > Just believe what I say." Check.
>
> Better yet, to authorities who no longer exist. (MCI was eaten by
> WorldCom, Bell Atlantic and GTE merged to Verizon.)
>
> > Chain letter request. Check.
> >
> > Does anybody know if someody has written a logic filter for email
> > hoaxes? Would be interesting as they all seem to sound the same to me.
>
> Unfortunately, it would require the ability to parse English, a
> strong-AI condition.

Actually, yes.  A friend of mine wrote one.
http://crm114.sourceforge.net/

For the record, the condition outlined in the original spam was, in fact true 
a long time ago.  There were phone systems that were suseptible to this 
problem, and an outside caller really could get an outside line to anywhere 
for the cost of a local call.  I tried it.

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DDDD   David Kramer         david at thekramers.net       http://thekramers.net
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DKK D  "It's noble to be good. It's nobler to teach
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