If you're not the PREDATOR ... You're the PREY

Remote Observation System - REMOBS

by Jolly Roger

Some of you may have heard of devices called REMOBS which stands for Remote Observation System. These Devices allow supposedly authorized telephone employees to dial into them from anywhere, and then using an ordinary touch tone phone, tap into a customer's line in a special receive only mode. [The mouthpiece circuit is deactivated, allowing totally silent observation from any phone in the world (Wire tapping without a court order is against the law)].

How REMOBS Work

Dial the number of a REMOBS unit. Bell is rumored to put them in the 555 information exchanges, or on special access trunks [Unreachable except via blue box]. A tone will then be heard for approximately 2 seconds and then silence. You must key in (In DTMF) a 2 to 5 digit access code while holding each digit down at least 1 second. If the code is not entered within 5 or 6 seconds, the Remob will release and must be dialed again. If the code is accepted supposedly another tone will be heard. A seven digit subscriber phone number can then be entered [The REMOBS can only handle certain 'exchanges' which are prewired, so usually one machine cannot monitor an entire NPA]. The REMOBS will then connect to the subscribers line. The listener will hear the low level idle tone as long as the monitored party is on hook.

As the monitored party dials [rotary or DTMF], the listener would hear [And Record] the number being dialed. Then the ENTIRE conversation, datalink, or whatever is taking place can be monitored all without detection. (There is no current box which can detect Remob observation, since it is being done with the telephone equipment that makes the connection.)* When the listener is finished monitoring of that particular customer, he keys the last digit of the access code to disconnects him from the monitored line and return to the tone so that he can key in another 7 digit phone #. When the listener is totally finished with the REMOBS, he keys a single 'disconnect digit' which disconnects him from the REMOBS so that the device can reset and be ready for another caller.

History of REMOBS

Bell has kept the existence of Remobs very low key. Only in 1974, Bell acknowledged that REMOBS existed. The device was first made public during hearings on "Telephone Monitoring Practices by Federal Agencies" before a subcommittee on government operations. House of Representatives, Ninety-Third Congress, June 1974.

It has since been stated by Bell that the Remob devices are used exclusively for monitoring Bell employees such as operators, information operators, etc., to keep tabs on their performance. [Suuureee, were stupid]

Possible Uses for REMOBS

The possible uses of REMOBS are almost as endless as the uses of the self created phone line. Imagine the ability to monitor bank lines etc, just off the top of my head I can think of these applications:

Data Monitoring of: TRW, National Credit Bureau, AT&T Cosmos, Bank Institutions, CompuServe and other Networks.

Voice Monitoring of: Bank Institutions, Mail Order businesses, Bell Telephone themselves, Any place handling sensitive or important information.

Anyone that you may not like.

With just one REMOBS, someone could get hundreds of credit cards, find out who was on vacation, get CompuServe passwords by the dozens, disconnect peoples phones, do credit checks, find out about anything that they may want to find out about. I'm sure you can see the value of a telephone hobbyist and a telecommunications enthusiast getting his hands on a few choice REMOBS.

Caution if any reader should discover a REMOBS during his (or her) scanning excursions, please keep in mind the very strict federal laws regarding wiretapping and unauthorized use of private Bell property.

Jolly Roger The creator of this page hereby takes no responsibility or liability for anything that happens as a result of reading anything on this page. Users read at their own risk. Thank you.

* NOTE    This article was written before ComSec C3I was Patented.