Part 4 (1/2)

One of his co a sense of trust on the part of his victims How does a con man make you trust him? Trust me, he can

TRUST: THE KEY TO DECEPTION

The ineer can make his contact seem like business as usual, the more he allays suspicion When people don't have a reason to be suspicious, it's easy for a social engineer to gain their trust

Once he's got your trust, the drawbridge is lowered and the castle door thrown open so he can enter and take whatever information he wants

NOTE

You ineers, phone phreaks, and con-gah most of these stories This is not chauvinism; it simply reflects the truth that h there aren'tThere are enough feuard down just because you hear a woineers have a distinct advantage because they can use their sexuality to obtain cooperation

You'll find a sentler sex represented in these pages The First Call: Andrea Lopez The First Call: Andrea Lopez Andrea Lopez answered the phone at the video rental store where she worked, and in a : It's always a pleasure when a customer takes the trouble to say he's happy about the service This caller said he had had a very good experience dealing with the store, and he wanted to send the er's na address, and she told hiave hi up, he had another idea and said, ”I ht want to write to your company headquarters, too

What's your store nuave hi pleasant about how helpful she had been, and said goodbye

”A call like that,” she thought, ”always seeo by faster How nice it would be if people did thatStudio Video This is Ginny, how can I help you?”

”Hi, Ginny,” the caller said enthusiastically, sounding as if he talked to Ginny every week or so ”It's Toer at Forest Park, Store 863 We have a customer in here ants to rent Rocky 5 Rocky 5 and we're all out of copies and we're all out of copies

Can you check on what you've got?”

She came back on the line after a few ot three copies”

”Okay, I'll see if he wants to drive over there Listen, thanks If you ever need any help frolad to do whatever I can for you”

Three or four tiot calls froly legitimate requests, and he was always very friendly without sounding like he was trying to co the way, as well - ”Did you hear about the big fire in Oak Park? Bunch of streets closed over there,” and the like The calls were a little break frolad to hear fro stressed He asked, ”Have you guys been having trouble with your couy crashed his car into a telephone pole, and the phone company repairman says a whole part of the city will lose their phones and Internet connection till they get this fixed”

”Oh, no Was the man hurt?”

”They took him away in an aot a customer of yours here ants to rent Godfather II Godfather II and doesn't have his card with him Could you verify his information for me?” and doesn't have his card with him Could you verify his inforave the customer's naave Tommy the account number

”Any late returns or balance owed?” Toreat I'll sign him up by hand for an account here and put it in our database later on when the coe on the Visa card he uses at your store, and he doesn't have it with him

What's the card nu with the expiration date Tommy said, ”Hey, thanks for the help Talk to you soon,” and hung up

Doyle Lonnegan's Story Lonnegan is not a youngwhen you open your front door A one-ti debts, he still does an occasional favor, if it doesn't put him out very much In this case, he was offered a sizable bundle of cash for littlesoh It's just that none of his ”customers” kne to run this con; they needed soan's talent and kno

People don't write checks to cover their bets when they're unlucky or stupid at the poker table Everybody knows that Why did these friends of reen out on the table? Don't ask Maybe they're a little light in the IQ department But they're friends of uy didn't have the money, so they took a check I ask you! Should of drove him to an ATM machine, is what they should of done But no, a check For 3,230

Naturally, it bounced What would you expect? So then they call me; can I help?

I don't close doors on people's knuckles any more Besides, there are better ways nowadays I told theive o up on the computer to see what's the closest video store to hi hurry Four phone calls to cozy up to the store ot the cheat's Visa card number

Another friend of uy's poker e from the bar Let the cheat explain that to his wife You think he ain He knoe knoho he is And if we could get his Visa nuet a lotthe Con Tommy's initial calls to Ginny were simply to build up trust When tiuard down and accepted Toer at another store in the chain

And ouldn't she accept him--she already knew him She'd only met him over the telephone, of course, but they had established a business friendshi+p that is the basis for trust Once she had accepted hier in the same company, the trust had been established and the rest was a walk in the park she accept him--she already knew him She'd only met him over the telephone, of course, but they had established a business friendshi+p that is the basis for trust Once she had accepted hier in the same company, the trust had been established and the rest was a walk in the park

MITNICK MESSAGE

The sting technique of building trust is one of thetactics You have to think whether you really know the person you're talking to In soht not be who he claily, we all have to learn to observe, think, and question authority

VARIATION ON A THEME: CARD CAPTURE

Building a sense of trust doesn't necessarily deested by the previous story I recall one incident I witnessed where five minutes was all it took

Surprise, Dad I once sat at a table in a restaurant with Henry and his father In the course of conversation, Henry scolded his father for giving out his credit card nuive your card nu it to a store that files your number in their records - that's real dumb”

The only place I do that is at Studio Video,” Mr Conklin said, nao over es, I'd know it

Sure,” said Henry, ”but once they have your number, it's so easy for somebody to steal it ”

You mean a crooked employee”

No, anybody - not just an eh your hat,” Mr Conklin said

I can call up right now and get them to tell me your Visa number,” Henry shot back

No, you can't, ”his father said ”his father said

”I can do it in fivethe table”

Mr Conklin looked tight around the eyes, the look of so to show it ”I say you don't know that you're talking about,” he barked, taking out his wallet and slapping fifty dollar bill down on the table ”If you can do what you say, that's yours