Hacking Ozemail in the 1990

Offgrid on 12/02/2022 - 19:08
Last edited 12/02/2022 - 20:01

I was apart of a group of hackers in Newcastle who were hacking Ozemail between 1995 and 1998.

During this time Ozemail cost $5 per hour to use for dial up 56k. The hacking group considered of 52 people at I personally knew of including Julian Assange but probably a lot more. The group was using credit card fraud to access the internet.

In 1998 one of the members of our hacking group worked for an internet security company in Sydney and told us the AFP had seemed their professional expertise to help find people using credit card fraud against Ozemail.

He inform the group and the credit card fraud stopped instantly.

In 1992 Malcolm Turnbull bought his share of Ozemail for $550,000. In 1999, knowing it was full of credit card fraud, he sold his share to WorldCom for $59.9mill.

I personally was never associated with the credit card fraud. I did however use username and passwords that were created with credit card fraud.

In 2016 I submitted a statuary declaration to the AFP giving them full details including the naming of names.

The AFP allowed the sale of Ozemail to go thought knowing it was full of credit card fraud.

I think its important this information is made public.

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Comments

    • serpserpserp on 13/02/2022 - 15:16
      +4

      Oxford St meet up for the leet hax0rs

  • serpserpserp on 13/02/2022 - 14:39
    +1

    So this is a random post. Probably should go on whirlpool in the ISP section.

    But anyway, I think you'll find there was TONS of fraud back in dialup days.

    • spaceflight on 13/02/2022 - 22:46

      It was there but the user was banned

  • mini2 on 13/02/2022 - 15:24
    +1

    So a bunch of kids got their hands on some random card generators, got free interweb access, rinse and repeat when their account is disabled?

    That's just carding.

    • serpserpserp on 13/02/2022 - 17:42

      That is a righteous hack in the 1990's mate. Assange approved and everything.

      • BartholemewH on 14/02/2022 - 02:25

        "Assange could never come up with with something this leet, his scripts are cludge!"
        - OP, probably.

  • ddhar on 13/02/2022 - 17:48
    +1

    What percentage did the hacking actually affect the sale price? OP makes it sound like by a LOT which could be true but I'm somewhat doubtful.

  • DJR9000 on 13/02/2022 - 18:15
    +1

    hah, had a mate who did this in about 94 or 95. wasn't exactly difficult to rotate a few valid-looking CC numbers on a few accounts. I wouldn't really call it hacking at that stage and a major risk to the company's value, more like taking advantage of poorly set up systems. Nowadays we take CC preauths/small auths, address verification etc for granted but there's still a lot of providers susceptible to mass BIN attacks (remember all the Shudder BIN attacks not that long ago?)

    I think about 95 or 96 we had a $30 a month ISP subscription deal which was a LOT cheaper than ozemail's per hour, plus they had some gaming servers to play Quake and stuff. Then i started uni and it was very cheap or free? Then i started work for a company that had its own AS5300 56k dialup access server and ISDN connection, good times, till Cable internet that is.

  • Bammers on 13/02/2022 - 18:35

    Gotta say thanks!

    I used plenty of those accounts back in the early 90's for what seemed like years as oz-email had the best pings to local game servers (well as low as you could get on 56k modem).

    They did do a line trace on the land line that I used (dedicated fax / modem line) back then and they called us up, lucky for me we also had a legit oz-email account that we had been paying for years and as soon as we told them that they lost all interest. My old man still uses the @ozemail address to this day.

    Fun times those young teen years in the 90's ;)

  • Randolph Duke on 13/02/2022 - 18:40
    +6

    Starting to understand why Whirlpool banned OP.

    • Offgrid on 13/02/2022 - 18:45
      -6

      That's a rediculous and useless post. Nice to meet you.

  • niknah on 13/02/2022 - 18:53

    Back in the old days I worked for supplier to ozemail. They gave me an all you can eat login to their dialup so I could access their network. It still worked after worldcom.

    Worldcom probably robbed people way more than these minor credit card theives.

    • Offgrid on 13/02/2022 - 18:58

      Worlcomm were screwed over royalty. And what ha0ened to WorldCom again? The second biggest telco in the world.

      • DJR9000 on 13/02/2022 - 21:22

        they bought mci, became mci worldcom, went bankrupt in 2002 after they cooked the books, recovered and became part of Verizon

  • kindra on 13/02/2022 - 20:03
    +5

    Wow what a trip down memory lane.

    I didn't know anyone else who did this. I thought I was the only one. I was about 10 yo when I started and downloaded a Mastercard key generator. signed up for Oz email accounts which gave me internet access for almost 6 years.

    The AFP raided my house, took me to the police station. I had to go to children's court and plead my case.

    • Surtr on 13/02/2022 - 20:09

      Now that's a story!

    • Heaps for Cheaps on 13/02/2022 - 20:32
      +1

      Thanks for sharing. That is definitely a claim to fame. I feel you need an AMA on this topic.

    • Choc83 on 17/02/2022 - 10:58

      Oh wow, that's one hell of a story.

      The hardest thing those days was actually getting a CC number as a kid. These days, every free bank account comes with a Visa or mastercard debit number. It's not too difficult to rotate these completely legit card numbers (lost card, virtual cards) and get unlimited ubereats, oops I mean dial up internet.

  • dcash on 13/02/2022 - 20:22

    Essentially it was OzEmail's fault that they did no real-time credit card verification or processing, and yet allowed immediate access. It was trivial to simply dial into OzEmail using a terminal app, create a new account with a fake credit card number, and then initiate a PPP session and get usually a few hours of internet access before they would attempt to process the credit card, realise it was fake, and cut you off. The real kicker was that, I think probably around 1997 IIRC, they didn't use shadow passwords, so you could simply download the entire /etc/passwd from a terminal session, and then at your leisure (i.e. offline) proceed to either crack the passwords using brute force, or run them against rainbow tables. This would of course essentially give you unlimited and long term free internet, well after they realised their folly and implemented shadow passwords. The sysadmins there were absolute dopes.

    • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 20:16

      I think this may have Ben done deliberately. Inflating the revenue but never collected. Turnbull is a smart man.

      I recall when he was a lawyer in England he was asked to come back to Aust to work for a 'lizard' and if he did he would be set for life. The so called lizard was Kerry Packer.

  • Onysius on 13/02/2022 - 20:40

    I used Ozemail from 1994 to 1998, a hell of a lot (for hours on end), and was never billed by them.
    In October 1998 they contacted me to notify me that they had finally identified that they hadn't been billing me; but thankfully they said that they wouldn't be backdating the bills, and would only be billing mr from that date forward (I shudder to think how much the bill would have been otherwise).
    I immediately cancelled my account and signed up with another provider who was offering a much better deal.

    • Offgrid on 13/02/2022 - 21:01

      Lucky for you. It cost $5 per back in the day. Imagine if the internet addicted had to pay $5 per you today?

      • DJR9000 on 13/02/2022 - 21:23

        then they probably wouldn't use it and so wouldn't pay so much for abysmally slow internet?

  • CalmLemons on 13/02/2022 - 21:17
    +3

    Honestly no one gives a fk.

    OP has some minor psychological issues just like everything else growing up and he should look to broaden his knowledge and try to do some self improvement than dig up petty crimes done on DIAL UP internet.

    I don't meant to offend OP personally - I couldn't find a way to reword this post.

    OP has obviously ignored my advice in his why was I banned off whirlpool post.

    No idea what ozemail was/is.

    What is the 'definition' of hacking in this instance.

    • Offgrid on 13/02/2022 - 22:12
      -2

      I've been advided not to give my identity away. Now really don't care. You may want to check page 17, 19 and 47 of the Ultimate Matrix System written by Prof Ron Laura and Ken Dutton. That's me.

      • Grunntt on 14/02/2022 - 10:41

        Are you seriously trying to lay a claim to fame/infamy by telling us that you have some sort of association with this guy?
        https://www.professorronlaura.com/published-books.html

        He has books on body building, italian cuisine and even one titled "The Education & Training of the Mentally Retarded".

        • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 10:43

          I'm on pages 17, 19 and 47 of The Ultimate Matrix System written by Laura and Ken Dutton.

          Actually it might be page 21 instead of 19.

          He lectures philosophy at Newcastle Uni and Harvard.

          • Grunntt on 14/02/2022 - 11:03

            @Offgrid: You do realise there is nothing at all in Ron Laura's bio that claims he lectures at Harvard?
            Also, there is nothing on the Newcastle University site that shows him listed as a member of staff.

            Edit: Just checked the Harvard faculty and staff list - surprised to not see him listed their either.

            • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 11:06

              @Grunntt: He also wrote the education program in Aust.

              Not that I'm pride to be associated with him. His current wife is younger than his children from his previous mariage. His around 75yo and she is around 25yo. Great philosophy!

              • Grunntt on 14/02/2022 - 11:13
                +1

                @Offgrid: Hmmm… never addresses a single point that is raised by anyone else - looking very trollish to me so I'm not wasting any more time here giving you the attention your are obviously after. Enjoy yourself - I'm out.

      • djones145 on 14/02/2022 - 17:55

        are you john Smith or shown citizen
        u famous. you on all fake credit cards

      • spaceflight on 13/02/2022 - 22:34
        +2

        I called that number and was told to f*** off

        • Offgrid on 13/02/2022 - 22:42

          What did you say?

          • spaceflight on 13/02/2022 - 22:44

            @Offgrid: "Hi I'm spaceflight and I am calling about the Ultimate Matrix System. Do you have a minute to talk?"

            • Offgrid on 13/02/2022 - 22:53

              @spaceflight: I just tried to call him. It went to message bank but said it was him. He works for Harvard and it's probably night time over there.

              • spaceflight on 13/02/2022 - 22:54

                @Offgrid: Why doesn't he have an American number then?

                • Offgrid on 13/02/2022 - 22:56

                  @spaceflight: Call. Ow. Doeshosmessage bank not stay hello is is Prof Laura..?. Wtf is people problem with people telling the truth?

                • Offgrid on 13/02/2022 - 23:21
                  -1

                  @spaceflight: He isznAussie. If you want to private message me I will give you his mobile number.I gave it but the post quickly got deleted.

            • Offgrid on 13/02/2022 - 23:12

              @spaceflight: Why would a Prof of Philosophy tel l someonento f off because is a fruad. I will call him tomorrow and ask him what's going on.

            • Offgrid on 13/02/2022 - 23:17

              @spaceflight: Anytime you like. Any info you like

            • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 20:05

              @spaceflight: That's so funny. Saying to a 75yo man a midnight I'm spaceflight lol. That's hilarious.

  • Dr Techno on 13/02/2022 - 22:49
    +1

    i think this was pretty standard back in the 90s late, alot of ppl using CC generators to get all sorts of free stuff or back orfice to decrypt ppls saved internet credentials. back then I was mostly on local BBSs refusing to get on with the internet fab :)

  • Miss B on 13/02/2022 - 22:53

    Tl;dr: I felt guilty, so I dobbed in a bunch of people to the AFP and claimed that I wasn't responsible. Then I dropped a bunch of other people's names, but didn't share my own, or the evidence I claim to hold.

  • YeemaiI on 14/02/2022 - 00:11
    +5

    Can the mods please just close this thread? Half the comments by OP are personal attacks/inappropriate

    • BartholemewH on 14/02/2022 - 02:33

      That's when he's not giving out unsuspecting associates mobile numbers in the middle of the night. Wtf……

    • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 09:10
      -3

      Why would you want to do that? I've got so much more info to divulge.

      I wil just have to stay with the forum rules and be a lotcleaver when I do it.

      • spaceflight on 14/02/2022 - 10:11

        I've got so much more info to divulge.

        Like what?

        • Gunnar on 14/02/2022 - 17:23
          +1

          Earth is flat?

  • downbythecreek on 14/02/2022 - 01:06

    The AFP have a special filing cabinet called the Kobra that is used for reports like the one OP made…

    • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 09:05

      I wonder if that filing cabinet contained who gunned down the AFP commander in his driveway.

  • randomusername2017 on 14/02/2022 - 09:37

    In honour of the winter Olympics…. this thread went downhill fast ⛷️🏅

  • Grunntt on 14/02/2022 - 10:48

    Serious question for the OP- RUOK?

    • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 11:01

      Never been better. RUOK?

      If I took this life serious I would probably have major mental health issues.

      This world is a joke and most of what we believe is a lie. This world is a prison based on control and fear.

      I'm so looking forward to my next existence after I leave this world.

      • Grunntt on 14/02/2022 - 11:21
        +1

        Sort of concerning that this you at your best. Good luck and good bye.

        • Heaps for Cheaps on 14/02/2022 - 12:11
          +1

          It was touching that you asked from a seemingly genuine place ' RUOK', …until you then added 'Good luck and good bye.'

          Dear OP, I hope this thread has at least helped you make the point you want in a thread that won't be deleted.

          You seem to have an interesting life story, if only you could take the time to elaborate and sort out your thoughts so that we could be on the same page.

          • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 12:17

            @Heaps for Cheaps: Problem is I haven't even started to tell my story yet.

            I doubt it would be allied on any forum.

            • Heaps for Cheaps on 14/02/2022 - 12:21

              @Offgrid: Maybe a blog and then post a few suitable exerts on a forum and people could read the rest on the blog?

              It sounds like you have a lot of thoughts and insights that if written and explained well would be an interesting story and lesson to people.

              There's no need to write it in one day, take your time to get it all out.

              • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 14:27
                +1

                @Heaps for Cheaps: Not a bad idea. I kind of have bigger ambitions than a blog though.

                Regardless of my bad spelling and crammer on a 10 inch tablet with a horrific spell checker and needing galasses. I'm quite well educated.

                I'm renovating ATM and everything is packed away. However i will set up my computer soon with threre monitors. Look out for me then. I'll be able to see ;)

          • Grunntt on 14/02/2022 - 20:06
            +1

            @Heaps for Cheaps: Looking at that again I agree that it could have been a lot better written.
            I actually meant the 'RUOK' as well as the 'good luck' part - the good bye was meant to indicate that I was leaving the thread.
            I offer my apologies if it sounded harsh or negative - that was not the intent.

      • SBOB on 14/02/2022 - 11:30

        RUOK?

        This world is a joke and most of what we believe is a lie. This world is a prison based on control and fear.
        I'm so looking forward to my next existence after I leave this world.

        so…. no?
        either
        131144 Lifeline
        or
        Less Joe Rogan like podcasts
        or both

      • randomusername2017 on 14/02/2022 - 11:50
        +1

        so looking forward to my next existence after I leave this world.

        Next stop earth?

        • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 14:42

          I believe this is Freemasonry teaching. My family is we'll entrenched in Freemasonry however I'm not.

          A little about Freemasonry. At the forth degree you are contacted to secrecy. If you expose their secrets apparently they will cut out your tounge and drown you in a river.

          Its not for me.

  • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 12:21

    Brb I'm watching a did on Pecker Mario ATM. G9gle is your friend.

    Majority of what I say is in code. There is 100 points up for grab if you can work is out.

    • SBOB on 14/02/2022 - 12:30

      Majority of what I say is in code.

      covfefe

      • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 13:21

        Oooh there is teacher in the house. I never respected teachers. Schoolis another name for kiddy prison.

        Diversion is one of the many tools used by those who are not knowledge it full of education.

        Education is nothing more than regurgitation.

        • SBOB on 14/02/2022 - 13:36

          w…..t……f…….are you talking about

          Diversion is one of the many tools used by those who are not knowledge it full of education.

          full of education your sentence structure is not.

          • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 13:42
            -1

            @SBOB: I better be arrested for this. Send in the police who protect paedophiles.

        • randomusername2017 on 14/02/2022 - 15:13

          Education is nothing more than regurgitation

          Self defined Rhodes Scholar

          • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 15:19

            @randomusername2017: Thanks for your appreciation however I'm far evolved past a Rhode Scholar.

            I'm up to my 10th year at uni…, damn I goto get some galleses soon tho.

  • BewareOfThe Dog on 14/02/2022 - 14:31

    The $5 per hour price was still cheaper than Compuserve. ;)

    • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 14:37

      I wouldn't know I paid the cost of a phone call. I believe it was 20cat the time.

  • CalmLemons on 14/02/2022 - 17:45
    -1

    Dear OP,

    Sometimes internet forums are quite bland without threads like this, they always provide some light entertainment as the general public gets out the pitch forks.

    As I said before, I don't mean this personally or want to attack you, but I came from a big family of which many members suffered from some degree of personality disorder or were not raised up with the right mindset.

    It's a terrible environment to grow up in, and even more terrible as we grow up to become adults and to not recognise and fight the demons (personality quarks, inappropriate behaviour) as we grow up.

    I'm sure we all know the story of Peter Pan which basically tells the story of the kids who never grow up, but regardless, whether we like it or not, we eventually have to grow up to become responsible adults, who don't need to do things for a sense of self importance or get emotional and throw our opinions at other people loudly.

    That said, one of the more common personality flaws I saw was simply narcissism. Everyone wants to feel important and many people will go to great lengths to do so. A lot of males grow up doing things not for self improvement, but devote all of their actions in the pursuit of wanting to feel important and admired by the world, they want to needlessly feed their egos. Very often this involves constantly pushing to the world what they have done previously or pushing stories/opinion that give them attention or that they would expect people to give them attention so that they can feel a degree of fulfilment. The grand felling of self importance or recognition of issues that they believe are important.

    The issue comes when people don't pay attention to this behaviour or if people provide criticism, the person easily becomes impatient, angry and feels slighted by the most minor of comments. The reaction is then followed by significant rage and uncontrollable emotional behaviour towards the other person.

    It only benefits the community if all members can be constructive and work as a team, rather than be self destructive. It's important as we grow up, to recognise that we may be wrong and there are behaviours that need to be corrected. The most scary thing in the world is the person who thinks they are always right, and then they ask how silly everyone else is because they don't listen to their words.

    • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 20:20
      -1

      Is this long way around to say I have psychological issues? Just say what you mean. Also read my next post below! I will tell you who has the psychological issues.

  • Offgrid on 14/02/2022 - 20:24
    -5

    I believe around 1978 Malcolm Turnbull wrote a letter to his ex….. The infamous letter is referred to as Nessie. This was the name of his ex girlfriends cat. Yo can google the letter online and read it in full for yourself.

    Turnbull was accused of strangling the cat by a major newspaper. He sued the newspaper and was awarded a by large but undisclosed amount.

    And this was our future prime minister!

    PS. When Turnbull stood up to speak in Parliament and the opposition made cat noises, Nessie is who they were referring to.

  • Offgrid on 17/02/2022 - 23:14

    Is seems some don't want information releases about Turnbull given the about post being remove by the number of negative votes. The above post isn't even the worst of the worst information I have on this man.

    I'm just wondering why people with no interest in this thread are coming back to sensor the information I have. Hmmmmmm.

    • SBOB on 18/02/2022 - 05:51
      +2

      Because it's nothing someone couldn't read in a daily mail article from years ago?

      https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5498337/Malcolm-Tur…

      It's not information 'you have on this man's, it's just old news no one cares about.

      • Offgrid on 18/02/2022 - 21:11

        Old. News but very relevant.

        Most politiants are psychopaths.

    • randomusername2017 on 18/02/2022 - 07:30

      I'm just wondering why I have coming back senseless information Hmmmmmm I have a crush on this man.

      ftfy

  • SkeeveStevens on 03/10/2022 - 18:35

    Those were the days.

  • kfp187 on 04/10/2022 - 15:17

    This post just really annoys me. My parents coped a $900 bill one month and when it was tracked back to Newcastle…
    Really not cool.

    Offgrid… you sound like a Turnball fanboy.

    But that aside… why make the post, just feel like telling people this 25 years after the fact? What so you feel better at night? Just odd, troll-like behaviour….

    • Grunntt on 05/10/2022 - 09:15
      +1

      You do realise this thread is from February?
      OP hasn't been seen here since March.
      SkeeveStevens was reminiscing about the quality post I assume.

      • SkeeveStevens on 24/02/2023 - 03:37
        -1

        Just amused actually. Knowing what actually happened, and what people think they know happened is very amusing. The amount of posts out there where people have claimed internal knowledge, or to be an associate of mine or friend, and I've never heard of them… I mean, why?

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