sheet, making things much more difficult. This is where your phone comes in handy.
First, look up someone in the phone book, and obtain as much information as possible about
them. Then, during business hours, call in a very convincing voice - "Hello, this is John Doe
from the Visa Credit Card Fraud Investigations Department. We have been informed that
your credit card may have been used for fraudulent purposes, so will you please read off
the numbers appearing on your Visa card for verification." Of course, use your imagination!
Believe it or not, many people will fall for this ploy and give out their credit information.
Now, assuming that you have your victim's credit card number, you should be able to
decipher the information given.
Step Two: Recognizing information from carbon copies
Card example:
[American Express]
XXXX XXXXXX XXXXX
MM/Y1 THRU MM/Y2
JOE SHMOE
Explanation:
MM/Y1 is the date the card was issued, and MM/Y2 is the expiration date. The American
Express Gold Card has numbers XXXXXX XXXXXXXX XXXXXXXX, and is covered for up
to $5000.00, even if the card holder is broke.
[Mastercard]
5XXX XXXX XXXX XXXX
XXXX AAA DD-MM-YY MM/YY
JOE SHMOE
Explanation:
XXXX in the second row may be asked for during the ordering process. The first date is
when the card was new, and the second is when the card expires. The most frequent
number combination used is 5424 1800 XXXX XXXX. There are many of these cards in
circulation, but many of these are on wanted lists, so check these first.
[Visa]
4XXX XXX(X) XXX(X) XXX(X)
MM/YY MM/YY*VISA
JOE SHMOE
Explanation:
Visa is the most abundant card, and is accepted almost everywhere. The "*VISA" is
sometimes replaced with "BWG", or followed with a special code. These codes are as
follows:
[1] MM/YY*VISA V - Preferred Card
[2] MM/YY*VISA CV - Classic Card
[3] MM/YY*VISA PV - Premier Card
Preferred Cards are backed with money, and are much safer to use. Classic Cards are
newer, harder to reproduce cards with decent backing. Premier Cards are Classic Cards
with Preferred coverage. Common numbers are 4448 020 XXX XXX, 4254 5123 6000
XXXX, and 4254 5123 8500 XXXX. Any 4712 1250 XXXX XXXX cards are IBM Credit
Union cards, and are risky to use, although they are usually covered for large purchases.
Step Three: Testing credit
You should now have a Visa, Mastercard, or American Express credit card number, with
the victim's address, zip code, and phone number. By the way, if you have problems getting
the address, most phone companies offer the Address Tracking Service, which is a special
number you call that will give you an address from a
phone number, at a nominal charge. Now you need to check the balance of credit on the
credit card (to make sure you don't run out of money), and you must also make sure that
the card isn't stolen. To do this you must obtain a phone number that businesses use to
check out credit cards during purchases. If you go to a department store, watch the
cashier when someone makes a credit card purchase. He/she will usually call a phone
number, give the credit information, and then give what is called a "Merchant Number".
These numbers are usually written down on or around the register. It is easy to either find
these numbers and copy them, or to wait until they call one in. Watch what they dial and
wait for the 8 digit (usually) merchant number. Once you call the number, in a calm voice,
read off the account number, merchant number, amount, and expiration date. The credit
bureau will tell you if it is OK, and will give you an authorization number. Pretend you are
writing this number down, and repeat it back to them to check it. Ignore this number
completely, for it serves no real purpose. However, once you do this, the bank removes
dollars equal to what you told them, because the card was supposedly used to make a
purchase. Sometimes you can trick the operator by telling her the customer changed his
mind and decided not to charge it. Of course, some will not allow this. Remember at all
times that you are supposed to be a store clerk calling to check out the card for a
purchase. Act like you are talking with a customer when he/she "cancels".
Step Four: The drop
Once the cards are cleared, you must find a place to have the package sent. NEVER use a
drop more than once. The following are typical drop sites:
[1] An empty house
An empty house makes an excellent place to send things. Send the package UPS, and leave
a note on the door saying, "UPS. I work days, 8 to 6. Could you please leave the package on
the back door step?" You can find dozens of houses from a real estate agent by telling
them you want to look around for a house. Ask for a list of twenty houses for sale, and tell
them you will check out the area. Do so, until you find one that suits your needs.
[2] Rent A Spot
U-Haul sometimes rents spaces where you can have packages sent and signed for. End your
space when the package arrives.
[3] People's houses
Find someone you do not know, and have the package sent there. Call ahead saying that "I
called the store and they sent the package to the wrong address. It was already sent, but
can you keep it there for me?" This is a very reliable way if you keep calm when talking to
the people.
Do NOT try post office boxes. Most of the time, UPS will not deliver to a post office box,
and many people have been caught in the past attempting to use a post office box. Also,
when you have determined a drop site, keep an eye on it for suspicious characters and cars
that have not been there before.
Step Five: Making the transaction
You should now have a reliable credit card number with all the necessary billing
information, and a good drop site.
The best place to order from is catalogues, and mail order houses. It is in your best
interest to place the phone call from a pay phone, especially if it is a 1-800 number. Now,
when you call, don't try to disguise your voice, thinking you will trick the salesperson into
believing you are an adult. These folks are trained to detect this, so your best bet is to
order in your own voice. They will ask for the following: name, name as it appears on card,
phone number, billing address, expiration date, method of shipping, and product. Ask if
they offer UPS Red shipping (next day arrival), because it gives them less time to research
an order. If you are using American Express, you might have a bit of a problem shipping to
an address other than the billing address. Also, if the salesperson starts to ask questions,
do NOT hang up. Simply talk your way out of the situation, so you won't encourage
investigation on the order.
If everything goes right, you should have the product, free of charge. Insurance picks up
the tab, and no one is any wiser. Be careful, and try not to order anything over $500. In
some states, UPS requires a signature for anything over $200, not to mention that
anything over $200 is defined as grand theft, as well as credit fraud. Get caught doing
this, and you will bite it for a couple of years. Good luck!
3. Making Plastic Explosives from Bleach by The Jolly Roger
Potassium chlorate is an extremely volatile explosive compound, and has been used in the
past as the main explosive filler in grenades, land mines, and mortar rounds by such
countries as France and Germany. Common household bleach contains a small amount of
potassium chlorate, which can be extracted by the procedure that follows.
First off, you must obtain:
A heat source (hot plate, stove, etc.)
A hydrometer, or battery hydrometer
A large Pyrex, or enameled steel container (to weigh chemicals)
Potassium chloride(sold as a salt substitute at health and nutrition stores)
Take one gallon of bleach, place it in the container, and begin heating it. While this solution
heats, weigh out 63 grams of potassium chloride and add this to the bleach being heated.
Constantly check the solution being heated with the hydrometer, and boil until you get a
reading of 1.3. If using a battery hydrometer, boil until you read a FULL charge.
Take the solution and allow it to cool in a refrigerator until it is between room
temperature and 0øC. Filter out the crystals that have formed and save them. Boil this
solution again and cool as before. Filter and save the crystals.
Take the crystals that have been saved, and mix them with distilled water in the following
proportions: 56 grams per 100 milliliters distilled water. Heat this solution until it boils
and allow to cool. Filter the solution and save the crystals that form upon cooling. This
process of purification is called "fractional crystallization". These crystals should be
relatively pure potassium chlorate.
Powder these to the consistency of face powder, and heat gently to drive off all moisture.
Now, melt five parts Vaseline with five parts wax. Dissolve this in white gasoline (camp
stove gasoline), and pour this liquid on 90 parts potassium chlorate (the powdered crystals
from above) into a plastic bowl. Knead this liquid into the potassium chlorate until
intimately mixed. Allow all gasoline to evaporate.
Finally, place this explosive into a cool, dry place. Avoid friction, sulfur, sulfides, and
phosphorous compounds. This explosive is best molded to the desired shape and density of
1.3 grams in a cube and dipped in wax until water proof. These block type charges
guarantee the highest detonation velocity. Also, a blasting cap of at least a 3 grade must
be used.
The presence of the afore mentioned compounds (sulfur, sulfides, etc.) results in mixtures
that are or can become highly sensitive and will possibly decompose explosively while in
storage. You should never store homemade explosives, and you must use EXTREME caution
at all times while performing the processes in this
article.
You may obtain a catalog of other subject of this nature by writing:
Information Publishing Co.
Box 10042
Odessa, Texas 79762
4. Picking Master Locks by The Jolly Roger
Have you ever tried to impress someone by picking one of those Master combination locks
and failed?
The Master lock company made their older combination locks with a protection scheme. If
you pull the handle too hard, the knob will not turn. That was their biggest mistake.
The first number:
Get out any of the Master locks so you know what is going on. While pulling on the clasp
(part that springs open when you get the combination right), turn the knob to the left until
it will not move any more, and add five to the number you reach. You now have the first
number of the combination.
The second number:
Spin the dial around a couple of times, then go to the first number you got. Turn the dial
to the right, bypassing the first number once. When you have bypassed the first number,
start pulling on the clasp and turning the knob. The knob will eventually fall into the groove
and lock. While in the groove, pull the clasp and turn the knob. If the knob is loose, go to
the next groove, if the knob is stiff, you have the second number of the combination.
The third number:
After getting the second number, spin the dial, then enter the two numbers. Slowly spin
the dial to the right, and at each number, pull on the clasp. The lock will eventually open if
you did the process right.
This method of opening Master locks only works on older models. Someone informed
Master of their mistake, and they employed a new mechanism that is foolproof (for now).
5. The Arts of Lockpicking I by The Jolly Roger
Lockpicking I: Cars and assorted other locks
While the basic themes of lockpicking and uninvited entry have not changed much in the
last few years, some modern devices and techniques have appeared on the scene.
Automobiles:
Many older automobiles can still be opened with a Slim Jim type of opener (these and
other auto locksmithing techniques are covered fully in the book "In the Still of the
Night", by John Russell III); however, many car manufacturers have built cases over the
lock mechanism, or have moved the lock mechanism so the Slim Jim will not work. So:
American Locksmith Service
P.O. Box 26
Culver City, CA 90230
ALS offers a new and improved Slim Jim that is 30 inches long and 3/4 inches wide, so it
will both reach and slip through the new car lock covers (inside the door). Price is $5.75
plus $2.00 postage and handling.
Cars manufactured by General Motors have always been a bane to people who needed to
open them, because the sidebar locking unit they employ is very difficult to pick. To