Telephone DoS

I listen to a radio station that is broadcast from philly just about everyday on my drive home from work. The radio show is The Kidd Chris Show. They beat out any of the other "talk" shows that are within my range.

Just like with many other "shock jock" radio shows, they have "friends" of the show call in. This is similar to Howard Stern's Whack Pack or Opie and Anthony's Wackbag (a play on howards Whack Pack I suspect).

The way it normally works is they find a new caller. The personalities of the radio show are nice to them and give them stuff or invite them to events. They then let the callers beat up on these "friends". It's all a bit. They've got mentally retarded people, crippled people, transsexuals, people who think they've got tons of talent but really suck, etc.

They have a new bit and I was questioning the legality of it. They moved into a new studio and got a new phone system. I'm not sure what kind... I never tried to find out. I suspect it's a VoIP system due to the quality, but it's only speculation.

They have this one guy/girl who happens to be a transsexual as one of the "friends" of the show. Over the past 6 months, they've warmed up to this person and let the fans of the show beat up on the transsexual. The transsexual is an emotional wreck! The transsexual will constantly call into the show and it provides hours of entertainment. Like a train wreck... you don't want to watch/listen... but you have to.

Well, they started something new. They started call forwarding some of their internal lines to this person's cell phone. Most of the time, the fans of the show just leave obscene messages and fill up their mailbox.

Here is where it may be illegal. When call forwarding lines to a single line, they're basically creating a DoS on this person's phone. The person can't make any outbound phone calls and no legit messages can come through to voice mail because they're being filled with callers to the show berating this transsexual.

At one point, the mailbox got too full and wouldn't accept anymore messages. It didn't play their normal recorded message but instead changed to a prerecorded phone company message of "mailbox number xxx-xxx-xxxx" is full. So, it basically gave out this person's real number. They'll have to cancel their phone number and get a new one to avoid constant harrasment.

I don't know if this is just a bit or not. It would seem to me that the lawers for the show would be all over it. They might be able to get around it if they get the transsexual to sign something allowing them to forward calls to them, or provide a cell phone to them that wouldn't give up their real number, etc.

I realize there is more than one problem with this... morally and legally. I'm just questioning the legality of someone call forwarding a phone number to your phone and it causing a DoS on your phone and mailbox.

I'd be questioning the legality of it in the sense of harassment. This would be similar or akin to stalking someone. Actually, now that I think about it, it is stalking someone. I'm surprised that no one has questioned them on this or brought the FCC in to address it. I guess perhaps because the person is a "transsexual" then it's acceptable to do, eh?

I personally believe that it is a bit. I think that the transsexual is in on the bit and just playing along... but it is hard to tell. Who knows if the person really is a transsexual. It could just be a character that was made up by them. I do not think that just because the person is a transsexual it is acceptable. I think you know my stance on alternate lifestyles. My family is full of them and I accept them. It's not my way, but who am I to say what is right or wrong.

I'd suspect that this HAS to be a bit. Otherwise it would be illegal for the reasons you mention and the DoS?

Yeah, this sounds dodgy in OOOohhhhhhhh so many ways. Harassment, discrimination, even if the victim is playing along this is still kind of dodgy.

although, people who think they have talent but don't are fair game IMO. ;)

I would say yes. The radio station is encouraging others to do the "stalking and harassing". And through that, are effectively causing a DoS against the user (they are unable to receive legit voicemails).

Here is what confuses me. The radio station has banned quite a few ideas for bits and even shut down message boards that didn't even belong to them.

They did have an unofficial message board that was setup by some fans of the show. The radio station had to have the message board shut down because of the content that was being posted there...

I don't konw how they can get away with it unless the whole thing is fake. The transsexual is fake (which I don't think so... they have pictures and this person is at events) or is playing along.

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The person can't make any outbound phone calls

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If that is their private phone and it includes 911 calls, I would say that you are looking at a felony. You would be over here.

just a thought :)

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Originally Posted by phishphreek

Here is what confuses me. The radio station has banned quite a few ideas for bits and even shut down message boards that didn't even belong to them.

They did have an unofficial message board that was setup by some fans of the show. The radio station had to have the message board shut down because of the content that was being posted there...

I don't konw how they can get away with it unless the whole thing is fake. The transsexual is fake (which I don't think so... they have pictures and this person is at events) or is playing along.

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This is why I was asking if people didn't care because the person "is" a transsexual. I wonder if the response would be the same if it was a nice college girl or an educated person. Or if they were black. The transsexual community has even less of a voice as a minority group than any other. Since it's often viewed as socially acceptable to make fun of transsexuals (e.g., The Birdcage, etc.) it wouldn't be viewed by the audience as doing something wrong, legally or morally.

I dont see how that would "DoS" a phone though. On cell phones you can call out as some one is leaving a message. I think for it to be DoS it would have to render the cell phone useless and I think they would still be able to use it..

I'm not sure how your cell phone is... but when someone is calling me, I am unable to dial out. As soon as I dial the number and press connect, it picks up the incoming call. My current phone (Blackberry 7100i from Nextel) won't even allow me to dial a number when I have an incoming call. If you have dozens of calls trying to come in at the same time, then you can't call out. If you send one to voice mail, the next incoming call will be ringing to your phone. It has been like that for the two providers and at least a dozen phones I've had. Sprint/Nextel and Cingular (now ATT)

It's legal unless the person it's happening to doesn't want it to be. Either they are being paid for it, signed a paper saying it's OK, or they have a nice case on their hands to make some major money.

Being someone who's enjoyed the occasional "Digital Prank" I can tell you... Well at least when I was doing it... That if you do things like this, it's legal depending on a few very very important levels:

1. I think everyone on the planet has made a prank call. Those are in fact legal if it's between business hours and you aren't harrasing the person (like, for example, you don't do it every week or month or day) because every New Years Eve my cousin and I would be bored, and somewhat intoxicated and started randomly dialing phone numbers of people.

Now, we got a way with this even when I accidently dialed the number for the police department because as I understood it, we weren't swearing, weren't doing it constantly, didn't call people back who didn't want us too do so, and we weren't putting anyone in danger by saying certain things that would make someone believe a life was at risk. For example you don't call up and say you're a Dr or something and that the person's relative is in the ER.

Most of the time we would just dial the prefix of a local call, and make up the rest of the number to see who we could get ahold of, and mess with them a bit.

A good example which worked well, was when about 2 years ago we grabbed a phone book and called everyone with a funny sounding name. Like we saw one named "Bigalls" and I called up asking for Mr Bigballs, and the elderly woman who answered pissed herself laughing saying "HAHAHAHAHA Oh no it's "Bigalls" not Bigballs!" and me without missing a beat said "Oh you've checked huh? They have a surgery for that I think" at which point she almost dropped the phone laughing.

See that's the key, make them appreciate the fact you're trying to annoy them :)

We called up one guy once who sounded PISSED and I'm like uh oh, this guy could easily make this call not so fun... I tried the old standby "Is your fridge running?" and he said yes, and well, you know where I went next and he actually laughed in a manner that made me think I brightened up his day with something as old as that joke.

I called up another person and my cousin and I laughed ourselves silly because it happened to be a woman, who happened to be watching a movie, so in true "I watched Scream once" style I did the voice saying "What's your favorite scarey movie?" and I don't know why but I managed to keep this girl on the phone for almost a half hour talking to her and she knew the entire time it was a prank call but didn't mind and seemed quite entertained by it.

So those are a few examples of why I wasn't worried about cops coming to the house.

Although once I DID do a call I know wasn't legal. My cousin's friend... Well, we called him up and his Dad answered the phone, and I said I was "Tom, the manager from Prime Time video" (A video rental store near my house) and that we had survailance footage of his son stealing gay pornography.

I managed to not laugh the entire call though it was hard, and my cousin had a pillow on his face laughing so it wouldn't be heard.

Now, he asked me what day so I made one up on the spot saying "It was last Tuesday" and obviously that was a good choice because he said "Oh ****"...

I told him "Well sir, the fact that he's so young we would really like to handle this without calling the police in, and so could you maybe come down today? I'd really appreciate taking care of this without having to call the police or putting something on your boy's record" and he of course grabbed it hook line and sinker and said "Sure who do I ask for?" I'm like umm, just come in and walk up to the desk, and he said "Who do I ask for though?" and I'm like ummm, Rachel (Or something like that I don't remember the name I gave) and he said "OK I'm on my way"..

My Mom overheard a part of it and said not only was that just MEAN, but that Her friend works there and has that exact name... I'm like OMG SCORE!!

A few months go by and my cousin hears from his friend.... He was just getting home when his Dad was leaving to go see the woman at Prime Time video about his homosexual video taste and said "Get in the truck NOW!" and basically the entire way to Prime time video he was yelling at him, and they walk into Prime Time video, and wouldn't you know it? SHE WAS WORKING THAT DAY!

So his Dad and him walk up, find her, say hi, and the woman asked who he was and he says "I'm this boy's father, I got a call a few minutes agofrom your manager Tom saying you caught this little **** stealing gay porn".

Now picture this if you will, this video store is packed with people who have all turned around to watch as the girl at the counter says "Sir, no one named Tom works here, the manager isn't even in today, and no one has stolen any movies from us in quite some time, I think you've been pranked"....

Now, from what I heard, EVERYONE in the store, busted out laughing and his Dad had that look on his face like Deer + Headlights and.... Yea it wasn't nice but I'm so damned proud, I mean who else has ever pulled THAT off?

My cousi to this day will laugh himself silly thinking about it. The kid looked at his Dad, remembered what he was saying the whole way to the store (If you want to know what his Dad was saying, I'm not telling because it's not polite, but just picture a big ol' redneck finding out his son is gay and stealing gay porn and go from there.....yes....not to nice huh?) and started laughing at his Dad basically with the entire store.

That was seriously one of the best pranks I've ever pulled off considering I did it on the spot, and the only thing I knew about this kid was that he was friend's with my cousin and that his Dad was a homophobe.

I didn't ever get in trouble for that and I've always admitted to it because frankly anyone who was actually MAD over it, well, no one was really, even his Dad as far as I know can laugh about it now thinking "My boy's friend's cousin is one funny bastard!".

The look on my cousin's face in between giggles with the stuff I was coming up with was priceless.

Anyway, I kind of went off track and this is WAY to long now, but needless to say, either the station pays them for this, or they have a deal of some sort because that IS harassing.

Sorry to drag it off topic a bit but an example was needed for my post and that one is great lol.

It's one thing to do it as a prank that you devise up and do once. To encourage thousands of people to do it many times over and over a series of days/weeks is beyond a prank. That smacks of harassment.

Unfortunately, there may be different laws for cell phones compared
to "land lines". In the old days of the strictly wired phone system,
the rules were pretty strict. ??

Whether the person is a transsexual or not would have no bearing
on the government's responsibility to protect the integrity of the system.
Government's attitude is that everyone with a phone is entitled to use it
without harassment.