Hacked Prepaid Phone Cards - Are They a Thing of the Past?

With the competition being so fierce between long distance providers it’s a wonder you can even figure out which service is the best to go with. It’s not always easy to commit to a long-term contract, especially when you can see how frequently the long distance rates change. There’s always one service out there that’s out doing the rest, offering a lower cheaper service.

That’s why it’s not unusual for people to go with a prepaid phone card. You can purchase as many long distance minutes as you want at a set rate and use them until their gone or purchase more minutes as you need them if you decide the rates still a good one.

When prepaid phone cards first came out there was a problem with hacking. The phone cards were made similar to an ATM card with a magnetic strip on the back. The second type of phone card that was made was called an optical card that had holes or lines on the back that when scanned would give you the balance left of you unused minutes. Because the technology on both of these cards was very simple it was very easy for hackers to hack your card and use the unused minutes for them.

Because of this, the optical cards have pretty much been faded out, although they still are being used in Japan. The need for prepaid phone card security has been at an all time high. Because the United States does not have one phone service that serves the entire country this has been a huge problem. Not all companies are as secure as others and there seemed to be no incentive for the companies to do anything about this problem.

In 1980 the first public pre-paid remote memory phone card was issued by a company called Phone Line. This card was made to be used with any tone-mode phone and did not require a card reader, which helped to eliminate hackers.

In order to use the remote memory phone card the owner must enter in the access number along with the assigned or chosen pin number, and instructions in order to use the calling card. When you buy the prepaid phone card it is usually sent to you by mail or some companies will send you the information through your email. It all depends on what service you are using.

Hopefully with the improvement of the latest technology, hacked prepaid phone cards will become a thing of the past. Nothing is worse than going to use your phone card and finding out that your minutes have been stolen. Especially if you’re having an emergency and need to get a hold of someone quickly that lives out of town.

Be sure to shop around before you buy your phone card so that you can find a prepaid phone card that meets all your needs. Some cards have limits or hidden costs that you should know about before you sign any type of agreement. It never hurts to look around.

 

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Prepaid Phone Card News:
FTC: Prepaid Phone Card Marketers Will Pay $2M For Lying To Customers - Business Insider

Business Insider

FTC: Prepaid Phone Card Marketers Will Pay $2M For Lying To Customers
Business Insider
A crop of prepaid phone card companies has agreed to fork over $2.3 million to settle claims they lied to foreign-born customers about the number of minutes they were purchased, the FTC announced today. There's no need to spell out how crucial the .
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Free iPhone App Puts Prescription Savings Card on Your Phone - San Francisco Chronicle (press release)

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Burmese SIM Card Provider Challenges Monopolistic State Interests - The Irrawaddy News Magazine

The Irrawaddy News Magazine

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(Photo: www.nat.org) A public war of words has broken out in Burma between a private company and government officials over the company's plans to sell a phone card at a price as low as 5000 kyat (US $ 6)EUR”100 times cheaper than those currently on the .

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Prepaid phone card marketers to pay $2.32 million over false claims .
Several marketers of prepaid calling cards will pay $2.32 million as part of a settlement to resolve charges that they made false claims about the number of minutes on prepaid cards they advertised to immigrant communities, ...


Prepaid calling card marketer to pay $2.3M for alleged scam targeting immigrants
WASHINGTON - Marketers of calling cards that duped tens of thousands of consumers are going to pay $2.3 million in a settlement with the government...


discount kids wig | Aircraft for Sale, Used Business Jets, Ultra lights .
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Adding Cash to UPside Visa Prepaid Cards Just Got Easier
Plastyc to use Green Dots Swipe&Load technology to let people instantly add cash to their cards at 7-Eleven stores throughout the U.S.New York, NY (PRWEB) January 17, 2012 Plastyc announced today that effective immediately, UPside Visa cardholders can load cash onto their cards at more than 6,500 7-Eleven stores throughout the U.S. with a simple swipe of their card at the stores cash registers ...


Freescale and INSIDE Secure Revolutionize the Prepaid Meter
SAN ANTONIO--(BUSINESSWIRE)-- Prepaid meter reference design enables secure purchase and reload of energy credit balance using smart phones or contactless smart cards Freescale Semiconductor (NYSE: FSL) ...


What Does George Lopez's Prepaid Card Have to Offer? - NASDAQ

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What Does George Lopez's Prepaid Card Have to Offer?
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While he recently entered into a multi-year marketing contract with Mango Financial, whose primary offering is the Mango Prepaid Card, he'd apparently already cast his allegiances with another piece of plastic, calling it EURśthe smartest card of all.
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Prepaid Phone Card Marketers Agree to Pay $2.32 Million to Settle FTC Charges
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Pros and cons of tax refund prepaid cards
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Expired prepaid cards? - TODAYonline

Expired prepaid cards?
TODAYonline
I bought a prepaid card for my primary school son at a SingTel road show, and all was well for a week. Then, his mobile phone displayed the message "SIM registration failed". Apparently, the card's expiry date was before the road show.

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