ziegler@lzmi.UUCP (09/20/83)
To those of you who aren't Lauren Weinstein but are reading
this anyway, I apologize for generating extra news items on your
machine, but repeated attempts to send Lauren mail have failed so
this is my last resort.
Lauren,
First of all, how the #*$%@ do I get mail to you? I assume you
haven't received any of my previous attempts, since you haven't
responded.
Second, I tried to get that info on bank cards from
INFO-BANKING-REQUEST@ML, as you recommended, but got no reply from
there, either. Since we're a fairly new site here at lzmi, I'm not
sure that my mail ever got there, since no one else has ever tried
such a thing from here and I'm not sure I used the right magical
incantation. Could you do me a favor and foward my request, or at
least give me explicit instructions on how to get there myself?
In case you've forgotten, I'll repeat the original request.
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I'm looking for information about bank and credit cards (the
kind with the magnetic stripes on the back). I need to know what
information is on the stripe, and in what format. I'd also like to
know if there is any significance to the number on the front of the
card, or if the number is simply randomly assigned. (For example,
is it possible to determine such things as the type of card or the
issuing financial institution from the card number?) Of particular
interest are any standards that exist in this area, either national,
international or de facto. I would also be interested in
information on devices that read these cards, such as point-of-sale
terminals, automatic teller machines, etc. What sort of protocols
do these beasts speak, how are they networked together, and so
forth.
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Thank you for your help and information.
Joe Ziegler
...harpo!pegasus!lzmi!ziegler <or>
...hogpc!pegasus!lzmi!ziegler <or>
...mhtsa!lznv!ziegler
AT&T Information Systems
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