[comp.dcom.telecom] Fraud on Washington State phones

samho@LARRY.CS.WASHINGTON.EDU.UUCP (05/15/87)

The Seattle Times had a story 14-May about fraud on the Washington State
telephone system SCAN (State Controlled Area Network).  Losses were
estimated at up to $300,000.  The scheme involved getting the system's
local access number from an employee, and then finding the 6-digit
identification codes by trial and error.  Most of the calls ended up on
the account of a Washington State University employee who received a
56-page SCAN bill.  State officials are now tracking down the people who
made the calls, and collecting settlements ranging from $0.70 to $180.
Uncooperative people could also be prosecuted.