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.
