UPI.com
MIAMI — Miami jail officials say inmates recently figured out a way to hack into outside fax lines and rack up thousands of dollars in collect calls.
The alleged scheme enabled inmates to have collect calls placed to their friends and family on the outside billed to fax numbers assigned to unsuspecting third parties.
The Miami Herald said Monday the calls had appeared on the bills of one of its columnists as well as a federal judge and even one of the architects who helped design the jail.
“These guys are clearly creative. It’s a shame that creativity can’t be used to a better end,’' said columnist Joan Fleischman, who was billed $76 for jailhouse calls earlier this year.
The Herald said the scam is based on using the automatic forwarding of calls to fax numbers obtained from phone books by people on the outside.
Copyright 2010 UPI.com