telecom@eecs.nwu.edu (TELECOM Moderator) (09/25/89)
East St. Louis, IL, a dirt-poor minority suburb of the larger Missouri city by the same name was victimized for several months by phreaks without realizing it until the phone bills for a one year period were audited recently. According to a recent story in the Belleville, IL <News-Democrat>, the city is being billed for phone calls to dial-a-porn services and from points as far flung as Florida and Texas. The monthly phone bill for the city of East St. Louis averages $5000, and over the past year it has included calls to nearly every state as well as to '900' area adult talk lines. City Treasurer Charlotte Moore said the number of questionable calls in each month's phone bill, which is usually two inches thick, shows the 'need for better policing of phones'. No kidding! The <News-Democrat> obtained copies of the phone bill for several months under the Freedom of Information Act, and set about reviewing the places and people called. For example, from March through May of this year, hundreds of dollars in calls were made from places in Texas, Florida and elsewhere, and charged to a Calling Card number assigned to the city. In one instance, a caller in northern Florida made a 288-minute call to Miami that cost East St. Louis $39.27. The <News-Democrat> called the Miami number, and reached a man named John, who refused to give his last name, and claimed he '...had never even heard of East St. Louis...' Calls from one certain number in Houston to places all over the United States accounted for more than $1000 in charges over several months. A man who answered the phone at the Houston number refused to give his name and refused to discuss the matter, or explain how his phone might have been used for the fraudulent calls. Prior to intervention by the newspaper, the city had done nothing. Apparently they were not even aware of the abuse. On notification, the local telco cancelled all outstanding PINS, and issued new ones. Meanwhile, the city of East St. Louis continues to plead poverty. They are barely able to meet payroll for city employees, and have skipped a couple of paydays at that. The city has an extremely poor tax base, and will likely file bankruptcy in the near future. Maybe the FBI can go see the joker in Houston and 'John' in Miami and convince them to start paying their own phone bills! Patrick Townson