Why Red Boxing Still Works (sorta)

by Plazmatic Shadow  (plaz@kevinsnet.com)

Everyone says that Red Boxing doesn't work anymore.

I've heard about 40 different explanations for it and I think it's rather annoying.  Sure it was one of the "easier," sometimes considered "degrading" forms of phreaking, but it still kept within the limits of the spirit.

Why doesn't it work anymore?

For starters, AT&T stopped accepting coins for long distance calls.  That's probably the main reason.  It doesn't seem to work for local calls either or so I'm beginning to notice.

With all this in mind, I had quite the experience a few months ago.

After I read in various places that it didn't work anymore, I ran out and tried it.  I dusted off the old tone dialer and popped in some fresh batteries.  I went to the nearest payphone, and AT&T no longer accepted coins.  I decided to try the old local method of going through a live op, which I had gotten pretty good at.

I dialed up my local Verizon operator and told her I was having trouble with a local coin call.

She asked me for the number and told me to deposit my coins.  When I finished, she "returned" them and said they didn't go through, asking me to try once more.  I went through the process again and this time she said her usual, "One moment while I connect your call."

While she was doing this, I asked her if she was just being nice and putting my call through or if my coins had finally registered.  As it turns out, she was just being nice.

I tried the same proces in the area, with similar responses I got worth printing are:

"I'm just putting it through so you'll continue to think your little toy still works, so that you'll keep using it and get caught.  Now you know this, so I'm going to hang up."

"I'm just a nice person."

"Just this once.  Try the tone-thing again, I'll call the police."

"You sound so desperate trying to make a call, and with the phone not working and everything, I thought I'd just help you out."

"You sound like an honest person.  I'm putting your call through because I trust you."

"The computer didn't register the tones, but I heard the beep, so I figure you put the money in."

And the most common response was when the call did not go through:

"The coins aren't registering.  I'll submit this number for service.  Please try another phone, sorry."

The whole point of this is that if you sound innocent, desperate, and/or nice, your call will be put through.  It's kind of like social engineering.  The Red Box serves the function of tricking the operator into thinking you shoved coins in instead of the computer.

Basically, if you're on the line with a half-nice operator, your call will be put through just for trying.  So dust off the "old Red Boxes," get some fresh AAA batteries, and start your calling.

If you have questions, comments, thoughts, or anything else remotely related, I'm interested in hearing them.