Second Chance

During my freshman year in college as a Computer Science major, I discovered that I could hack into any computer on campus. By the time I was a senior, I could hack into nearly any computer anywhere. I never meant to do anything malicious or dishonest. I just did it for the challenge. I would hack in, take a look around, and then leave. After graduation in 1990, I got a job at a telecommunications company. I installed and maintained their computer and telephony equipment. It was fun learning about how telephone calls navigated the switches in the central office and made their way from your phone to the phone you were calling. As telephony equipment was retired, I would dumpster-dive and midnight-requisition the equipment that was decommissioned and take it home. I studied it and figured out how to use it. On a coffee break one day at work, my best friend, David, and I were listening to the radio and the morning radio personality was talking excitedly about a contest they were going to have the following week. They would be giving away an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Hawaii to the 102nd caller. I jokingly said, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we could take control of the radio station’s telephone system and win that contest?” We chortled over that for 10 minutes while we drank our coffee and finished a cigarette. I kept thinking about it all day, and I came up with a plan to do it. David and I carpooled to work so I told him my plan that evening on the way home. He was all in.

At the time, landlines were still predominately in use. We figured out which phone company central office served the radio station’s call-in number prefix. We leased cheap office space in the same area. Then we provisioned 9 phone lines off the same switch as the radio station’s call-in number. We set up one phone line that would become the main number of the radio station. Just before the contest began, we changed the radio station’s contest call-in number at the switch to a secret phone number that only we knew. We changed the number of the control phone to the actual contest call-in phone number of the radio station and then used call forwarding so that calls made to the control phone would flow directly to the radio station line. We had eight other phones that we programmed to automatically dial the secret contest call-in number of the radio station. When it was time for the contest to begin, the control phone started ringing off the hook as listeners started calling in to the contest call-in number. We counted the number of calls as they came in. When we counted 70 – 75 calls, then we removed call forwarding from the control phone. Now, we were the only ones able to call the radio station using the secret contest call-in number that only we knew. Everyone else was getting a busy signal when they called the station’s call-in number. I had four phones, and David had the other four phones. When we lifted the receiver on each phone, it automatically dialed the secret call-in number to the radio station. At this point, David and I were the only ones making the calls into the station’s call-in line. The announcer started counting down the calls, “You are the 92nd caller! Better luck next time.” We would act disappointed and say, “Oh, man!” “You are the 95th caller! So sorry!” Disguising my voice from the last call, I said, “Rats!” Finally, David makes the winning call, “You are the 102nd caller!” The announcer congratulated us on our win and invited us to the station to claim our prize. We ran this scam six times over the next three months on four different radio stations using fake id’s to claim our prizes. We won an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Hawaii, a total of $250,000 in cash, and a new Chevrolet Camaro.

Little did I realize that the FBI had been watching us. One morning ten agents came to the office, handcuffed David and me, and led us both out of the building in front of all of our co-workers who never suspected a thing. We both served two years in federal prison.

Because of the nature of my crime, I was denied any access to the prison’s computers for email or to check my commissary balance. I wasn't allowed to enroll in a Spanish class because it was a self-taught class using a computer and the Rosetta Stone software. I spent my whole time behind bars reading printed books. I have always been an avid reader, but I took my new prison hobby to the next level. I was assigned to a facility that did not have windows or even an outdoor area. During my two years in prison, I averaged eight to ten hours of reading a day. I also did exercises throughout the day – sit-ups, push-ups, lunges, the type of things you can do in a small space in a prison cell. I read over 200 books, from the Harry Potter series to Learning the Linux Operating System, not to mention doing thousands of calisthenics.

Finally, it was time for my release. I had been dreading this day. As a convicted felon, the only job I would be able to get now would be flipping burgers at McDonald's, if I was lucky. The day I got home, I found that David and I had been immortalized in the news as “two of the world’s most dangerous hackers,” and our release from prison was announced in almost every major newspaper in the United States. I started receiving invitations to speak at conferences and then to consult with large companies to help them secure their computer networks. I was so thankful for a second chance at life. To make amends, I did everything I could to contribute something good to society. I started my own consulting business and put half of my earnings into a charitable trust that supported everything from daycare for disadvantaged children to the World Wildlife Foundation. I taught “ethical hacking” at the community college and consulted with companies all over the world. Life is good now. David dropped out of sight. I haven't seen him since the day we were arrested. I regret running the scams on the radio stations, and sometimes I still feel the pull from the dark side, but I am determined to live free and contribute only good Karma to the universe.