An article dated March 15, 2002 in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Milo Ippolito), reports the capture of a man at the Atlanta Harstfield International Airport who used hidden cameras to peer over the shoulders of travelers as they made calls with their calling cards. The thief was recording access and pin number information. Thieves who use this method for obtaining card access and pin numbers are known as "shoulder surfers". Over 4000 stolen calling card numbers were found on this "surfer". The thief will be spending 33 months in prison for stealing and reselling access codes and has been ordered to pay for the fraudulent charges totaling $1.1million.

While the law enforcement agencies work to capture these criminals, take some steps to protect yourself and Guard your Card!

• Cover the keypad when making calls
• Memorize your access number and pin number so you do not need to read it from the card or a piece of paper.
• Do not answer a ringing payphone. A thief may be waiting for you to hear the dial tone and punch in your codes so he can record the information and sell it!
• After hearing dial tone, hang up. Wait 15 seconds for a new dial tone.
• Be aware of people lurking at payphones but not actually using the phone.
• Chaotic places like airports, bus terminals, or train stations, make it easy for a criminal to "surf".
• Check your long distance bills regularly.
• Report a lost or stolen card immediately.
• Treat your calling card as you would any other personal information such as a credit card or checkbook. Do not leave PIN information posted publicly.