A couple days before April Fool’s day in 2002 I decided to post a trick on phonelosers.org. I ended up posting the article shown below and it really generated a lot of interest. And after the all the interest, it generated a lot of pissed off people. So here’s the article and then I’ll post copies of all the email, usenet posts and other things I received about it.
Hacker Programs for your Palm Organizer
Many phone phreaks have utilized the usefulness of a Palm organizer over the past several years. What they don’t realize is that their Palm organizers can help them in their everyday phreaking activities. Here are a few of our favorite Palm programs:
- Pay Phone Commander v2.4 - phone company technicians use their TechNet terminals for everything from finding spare pairs when installing new service to basic pay phone maintenience. The Pay Phone Commander emulates the TechNet commands that let a technician access public phones via the infrared port that is found on most pay phones below the coin box. The layout of the program is very simple to use and lets you perform routine tasks like changing the way the phone bills you (making LD calls free) and emptying out the coin hopper with one stroke of the sylus.
Palm Red/blue Box - you’ve heard people claim that red boxing won’t work on the Palm since the Palm can only handle a single tone at once and a red box emmits 2 different tones simultaneously. Well that problem is solved thanks to the Palm Red/blue Box. Instead of playing the tones simultaneously, it alternates between the 2 tones very rapidly which fools the phone company’s system into thinking you’re really depositing money. This program works perfectly for all the coin tones as well as the blue box tones.
ToneLoc Palm Edition v1.0 - based on the best war dialer ever made, ToneLoc makes it’s comeback once again. Now you can program your Palm to dial thousands of numbers in sequence without fear of the phone company catching on and tracing the calls, you just place your Palm inside a TNI box or telco box and let it dial away. Just like ToneLoc, it saves any computer carriers it finds for you. You can also use this program as a pager bomber, just enter a pager exchange and the number that you’d like to show up on thousands of pagers.
Cell Phone Toolbox - this is a great program to use in busy malls. It uses the Palm’s infrared port to grab ESN/MIN pairs from nearby cell phone users. Most digital cells phones have built-in infrared ports that shoot out their ESN/MIN pairs and phone number every few minutes while the owner of the phone is using the phone. Go to a busy place and you’ve got ESN/MIN pairs bouncing all over the place and the Cell Phone Toolbox will grab them and log them for later use. You can use the ESN/MIN information to clone that person’s cell phone (which this program will do with the proper cables) or since it also grabs the phone numbers of nearby users, you can use your own phone to call them up and screw with their heads. This program is sure to bring you plenty of entertainment.
Be sure to check out our downloads section and grab all of these great programs. And if we’ve left out any cool hacker/phreak programs be sure to let us know so we can put it up here too.
Usenet Respose
Here is a short threads from alt.2600.phreakz and alt.phreaking that started a few days after I posted the article:
From: SmokeOnTheWater129 (SmokeOnTheWater129@comcast.net)
Subject: PalmPilotSoftware
Newsgroups: alt.2600.phreakz, alt.phreaking
Date: 2002-04-02 18:40:16 PST
Does anyone know where I can download Pay Phone Commander 2.4, Palm Red/Blue
Box, ToneLoc Palm Edition 1.0 or the Cell Phone Toolbox?
Thanks.
SmokeOnTheWater129@comcast.net
From: ic0n (ic0n@pla440.zzn.com)
Subject: Re: PalmPilotSoftware
Newsgroups: alt.2600.phreakz, alt.phreaking
Date: 2002-04-02 22:50:18 PST
http://www.phonelosers.org rbcp just uploaded some shit on palm pilot sofeware d00d
From: SmokeOnTheWater129 (SmokeOnTheWater129@comcast.net)
Subject: Re: PalmPilotSoftware
Newsgroups: alt.2600.phreakz, alt.phreaking
Date: 2002-04-03 12:35:37 PST
Alright, I went to the page, but there’s no link to the download page… At
least I can’t find it. What’s the url?
From: Bob (robert.j.hayes@BUTIDONTLIKESPAMukgateway.net)
Subject: Re: PalmPilotSoftware
Newsgroups: alt.2600.phreakz, alt.phreaking
Date: 2002-04-03 12:41:47 PST
“http://www.hackcanada.com/homegrown/” has a palm redbox, obviously
you’ll have to change the tones to US ones but IIRC it’s quite easy.
Bob
Email Response
From: sentar7@msn.com
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Subject: palm
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 2002 11:24:58 -0500
while on your page I saw your article on palm software you said that it was located on you download section of your page were is that I look all over and couldn’t find it could you please send me the link if possible. thanks
From: “Dick Longsword” dicklongsword@hotmail.com
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Subject: downloading palm programs
Date: Sun, 31 Mar 2002 23:07:59 -0600
rbcp - i noticed on the PLA homepage that you list several intriguing
programs available for download from your downloads section, but after
searching and poking around for a good half an hour, i was unable to find any such
section. could you point me in the right way or just send me a
direct link? thanks. -trey
Date: Tue, 02 Apr 2002 16:43:17 -0500
From: “SmokeOnTheWater129″ SmokeOnTheWater129@comcast.net
Subject: Download Page
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
I know I’m going to sound like an übern00b, but where is the download page on the PLA site? I wanna get the software for my palm pilot. What’s the url? Sorry to waste your time, but I can’t find it and I have to know.
From: LordNairn@aol.com
Date: Tue, 2 Apr 2002 19:15:05 EST
Subject: Palm apps
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Oi! Nice site. Where are the Palm red box/blue box apps located? Also, do
you know of any new numbers for Curtis (the “superhacker” who can “fry
your computer”)?
Thanks
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2002 09:20:57 -0800 (PST)
From: “Jack Flash” pphreaka@yahoo.com
Subject: downloads
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
i just checked ur site and noticed the palm downloads section. i wanted to try some of the programs but culdnt find ur download section. so culd u e-mail me the link or somthing so i can try them.
Date: Wed, 3 Apr 2002 17:00:33 -0800 (PST)
From: “Phil Connelly” doom129@yahoo.com
Subject: Download Page
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
What’s the url to the download page? I can’t find one.
Either I’m a schmuck or it’s not there (probably the
first), so what’s the url?
Subject: Downloads section…
From: “cmantito@bonbon.net”
Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2002 07:48:08 -0500
To: “rbcp@phonelosers.org”
I am really interested in downloading some of your phreaking palm
programs, but you said they are in the downloads section. I just woke up
and saw this update, so I am very tired and frustrated. I cannot find
the downloads page, and I did check in the ROY BBS ‘Files’ section
and they weren’t there. I’d appreciate it if you could let me know
where these files are. Thanks, Plazmatic Shadow
Date: Fri, 05 Apr 2002 17:41:14 -0500
From: “Plazmatic Shadow”
Subject: Ergh… Nevermind.
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
I emailed you yesterday about the programs for the palm pilot, but at about 3AM last night, I saw your “April Fools” post on the BBS… That was actually a pretty funny trick… Don’t bother emailing back… -KCL/Plazmatic Shadow
From: “justin -”
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Subject: Palm Progs
Date: Fri, 05 Apr 2002 15:09:20 -0500
I was looking for toneloc palm edition and could not find the
downloads…. could you post me a link please?
From: “Michael Broda”
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Subject: downloads section??
Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2002 16:14:48 -0700
I wanna get those palm proggys but where the hell is the downloads
section?? Michael
From: GhoitiHead@aol.com
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 21:27:44 EDT
Subject: palm programs?
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
hey i was wondering where the download section is so that i can download those palm progs u mentioned
email me back or put it up on the site
thanx alot dude
Andy
From: “Michael Cheuvront”
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Subject: Palm Files
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 20:07:02 -0700
Ive looked all over your site, and i can not find the palm files you talked. ive prolly over looked the link but i was wondering if you could help me out. Thx
From: “Mike Sawyer”
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Subject: Palm wardialer
Date: Sat, 13 Apr 2002 23:23:07 -0400
In regards to your April Fools, there actually is a cool Palm
wardialer that L0pht made, it’s called TBA. You can find it here:
http://www.l0pht.com/research/tools
Date: Tue, 09 Apr 2002 20:22:02 -0400
From: “SmokeOnTheWater129″ (SmokeOnTheWater129@comcast.net)
Subject: rbcp
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Hey RBCP. If you would do me the favor of removing my name and e-mail from the wall of stupidity. Good prank. I just don’t want to get any insulting e-mail. Thanks.
Date: Tue, 09 Apr 2002 20:24:41 -0400
From: “SmokeOnTheWater129″ (SmokeOnTheWater129@comcast.net)
Subject: RBCP
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Hey RBCP. It would be a great favor to me if you would remove my name, and email, long with the e-mail doom129@yahoo.com and that name. I would greatly appreciate it. I feel it to be a wall of stupidity. Thank you in advance.
Date: Sat, 6 Apr 2002 12:24:58 -0800 (PST)
From: “Zachary Silverman” (dionysos_shadow@yahoo.com)
Subject: Palm stuff?
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Hey, I may sound stupid, but you have that list of
Hacker programs for your Palm organizer on the
homepage and it says get them from the downloads
section… Where is the downloads section? If you
could give me links or email them as an attachment
that’d be great! Thanks.
Dionysos
Date: Sun, 7 Apr 2002 03:48:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: “Da Fulcrum” (dafulcrum@yahoo.com)
Subject: BBS is down as of satuday night
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org, roy@accessus.net
I really want the palm program Pay Phone Commander
v2.4, I haven’t seen it anywhere else.
So um, please lemme know when the BBS is back up and
hack the planet!
-Fulcrum
PLA/UPL Discussion List Response
From: “Michael Cheuvront” (MichaelDC@Adelphia.net)
To: rbcp@phonelosers.org
Subject: Palm Files
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 20:07:02 -0700
Ive looked all over your site, and i can not find the palm files you talked. ive prolly over looked the link but i was wondering if you could help me out. Thx
From: arcmna@softhome.net
To: phonelosers@wearehope.com
Subject: Re: [pla_upl] PDA programs
Date: Sun, 07 Apr 2002 22:16:48 GMT
Reply-to: phonelosers@wearehope.com
It turns out there is NO DOWNLOAD SECTION!!! only myself and RBCP
have access to these super 31337 programs.
Date: Sun, 07 Apr 2002 18:25:47 -0500
From: “Understep” (understep@shaw.ca)
Subject: RE: [pla_upl] PDA programs
To: phonelosers@wearehope.com
One big lousy joke
From: “Jared Dobias” (punkrocknothing@msn.com)
To: phonelosers@wearehope.com
Subject: RE: [pla_upl] PDA programs
Date: Sun, 07 Apr 2002 18:25:13 -0700
Reply-to: phonelosers@wearehope.com
Did you try the download section at http://www.gullible.com?
From: “Mr Peanut” (georgemct@hotmail.com)
To: phonelosers@wearehope.com
Subject: Re: [pla_upl] PDA programs
Date: Sun, 07 Apr 2002 22:36:10 -0400
Reply-to: phonelosers@wearehope.com
Did you read the description? Do you actually think thats possible?
From: “Nathaniel Wilson” (meggito@hotmail.com)
To: phonelosers@wearehope.com
Subject: Re: [pla_upl] PDA programs
Date: Mon, 08 Apr 2002 09:43:44 -0400
No!, I’ve been f00lzer3d! Damn kids.
From: DarkkstaR1@aol.com
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 17:29:52 EDT
Subject: Re: [pla_upl] PDA programs
To: phonelosers@wearehope.com
heh, after reading them I feel like a jackass…IR port on a phone?
From: DarkkstaR1@aol.com
Date: Mon, 8 Apr 2002 17:30:55 EDT
Subject: Re: [pla_upl] PDA programs
To: phonelosers@wearehope.com
I just skimmed them, and wanted to go directly to the programs. I didn’t really think anything of them, and now that I carefully read them it’s a pretty bad question I asked.
Angry Feedback in PLA’s Guestbook
Entry From Eeviac on 04/03/02 17:04:32 - Writing all the way from
Bright Idea: Next time you advertise some Palm Pilot programs in your download section, SET UP A DOWNLOAD SECTION!!!! As it is, the interest kind of dies off when it becomes apparent that THERE’S NO DOWNLOAD SECTION! Just a thought………………
Entry From Doom129 on 04/03/02 19:59:05 - Writing all the way from New Jersey
Next time you say you have a download section with palm pilot software, actually make the download section. I want my software and I want it now. Otherwise I love the page and it has some great prank calls.
Entry From PPhreakA on 04/04/02 13:20:17 - Writing all the way from
i like the site, but make a downloads section since u posted info about 1 on the front page.
Entry From parteimitglied on 04/06/02 16:19:08 - Writing all the way from
Maybe there is no downloads section because the Palm Pilot programs are a bunch of lies…
Entry From Eeviac on 04/07/02 17:55:48 - Writing all the way from
OMG what have I started? All these peeples mad at RBCP! Oh well., they shoud be because WE WANT OUR PROGRMS!!! Come on, Palms will be zipping off of the shelves, just so we can run those proggies! Make it a requirement that we buy Palms from you, I personally don’t care, I just wanna run those programs!
Entry From PPhreakA on 04/08/02 18:04:20 - Writing all the way from
k. i just wanted 2 say im not mad @ RBCP like Eviak said. i just think someone shuld put up the d/l section since they siad there was 1. other than that i think the site is great.
Entry From Stinky Stanley on 04/08/02 21:15:10 - Writing all the way from
Ive spent countless hours laughing my ass off. Great site, dont ever change. I also find it very funny how many people think there really is a palm download page. Its called APRIL FOOLS ya morons. hahahah. Anyways keep up the great work.
A Few Other Things…
Some guy on the message board at phonelosers.net got really pissed off at me because he ALMOST bid on a Palm on ebay before he realized that it was a joke. Unfortunately, the board crashed so I wasn’t able to stick his angry posts in here. Overall, this is probably the most successful April Fools pranks that we’ve pulled here. Hopes of gullible people were brought up and then dreams were crushed! That’s what I call success.
