Seventh phone numbers station: 414-386-1377

July 28, 2006 @ Michael Hampton → 7 Comments

On Thursday at 1:34 p.m., a message appeared on Milwaukee Craigslist asking “For Mein Fraulein” to “Call me.” It is at least the seventh of a long line of such messages, each of which appear in a different city, over the last three months. Only in the last week, the pace has picked up considerably, with the last three messages appearing in the last eight days.

However, one source says that there may be nothing to see here after all.

Since May 8, when the first message was spotted, at least seven such messages have appeared. Each one includes an embedded telephone number which, when called, gives a recording starting with a few bars of A-Ha’s “Little Black Heart,” followed by a reading of several groups of numbers.

The message posted to the Missed Connections section of Milwaukee Craigslist reads:

For Mein Fraulein

I do not appreciate being stood up, but Iâ€™m sure there was good reason. Call me.

///414///386///1377///

This number, when called, yields the following message (MP3):

Group 018
01802 70790 01028 03100 00250
10068 03301 40770 23009 01700
10220 84058 02601 80800 29012
01208 40410 79017 01106 80660
17001 01107 10670 07023 01700
20140 14030 00001 80040 12079
00004 20790 05012 00301 10730
26022 09000 00890 60027 08508
20040 17000 07300 20130 01000
00202 30690 03069 00500 50060
83030 00801 10110 00000 00707
30220 65004 07903 00220 08022
07601 0064

The final group, 0064, is believed to be correct. In the original recording as heard on the numbers station, there is no space between the first and second reading of the group, and the second reading seems to be partly cut off. I called twice to be sure; the error in the recording is with the numbers station.

Since the Cold War, this method of communication has been used by governments on shortwave radio stations to communicate with field agents. However, these telephone numbers are Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) numbers.

The telephone number is owned by Global Crossing, which provides wholesale Internet, VoIP and other services. The VoIP retailer is not known at this time. The third number, 678-248-2352, is also owned by Global Crossing.

One unusual thing that has happened is the much more frequent appearance of the messages. While the first several messages appeared every few weeks, the last three have appeared only days apart, with the last two barely 36 hours apart.

Most people believe the messages are encrypted and that they are breakable, while others think they are not breakable, not encrypted, or simply a prank. One military source says that, after analyzing a copy of the first message, it was “bullshit.”

If that’s so, I’d certainly like to know what they really are. I’ll take any ideas you may have. I’ll especially accept any plaintext you may have.

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7 Comments → “Seventh phone numbers station: 414-386-1377”

Anarchy

Jul 28, 2006

I’d say this message is BS, if for no other reason than the post made on Craigslist. In all the messages that we believe were “real”, the poster was very polite to “Fraulein”. Whereas this message is a bit more harsh. Just my opinion.

Also, it seems as though on the message, if you listen to the “one” that is spoken throughout the message, there is some background “chatter”. Has anyone made anything out of that?
Fortyseven

Jul 28, 2006

Last night I took the first one (my assumption being that the first one is the least likely to be a copycat fake) and wrote some code that took the lyrics to ‘Little Black Heart’ and used it several different ways as a key, but I only ended up with pretty looking jibberish.

Still going to keep trying, however. It’s fun.
J. Bruno

Jul 28, 2006

Who cares? I was done with these things before they started.
Anarchy

Jul 28, 2006

J. Bruno,

If you’re done, and don’t care, then why are you in here posting? LOL!

A.
J. Bruno

Jul 28, 2006

Feedback, “Anarchy.” LOL

And now a Kafka passage:

“You see” said K., “you haven’t much experience in legal matters.” “No I haven’t,” said FrÃ¤ulein BÃ¼rstner, “and I have often regretted it, for I would like to know everything there is to know, and law courts interest me particularly. A court of law has a curious attraction, hasn’t it? But I’ll soon remedy my ignorance in that respect, for next month I am joining the clerical staff of a lawyer’s office.” “That’s excellent,” said K. “Then you’ll be able to help me a little with my case.” “That may well be,” said FrÃ¤ulein BÃ¼rstner; “why not? I like to make good use of my knowledge.” “But I mean it seriously,” said K, “or at least half-seriously, as you yourself mean it. The case is too trifling to need a lawyer, but I could do very well with an adviser.” “Yes, but if I am to be an adviser I must know what it’s all about,” said FrÃ¤ulein BÃ¼rstner. “That’s just the trouble,” said K. “I don’t know that myself.” “Then you’ve simply been making fun of me,” said FrÃ¤ulein BÃ¼rstner, extravagantly disappointed, “it was surely unnecessary to choose this late hour for doing so.” And she walked away from the photographs, where they had been standing together for a long time. “But, FrÃ¤ulein,” said K., “I’m not making fun of you. Why won’t you believe me? I have already told you all I know. In fact more than I know, for it was not a real Court of Enquiry. I called it that because I didn’t know what else to call it. There was no interrogation at all, I was merely arrested, but it was done by a Commission.” FrÃ¤ulein BÃ¼rstner sat down on the sofa and laughed again.
fader

Aug 01, 2006

Randomly Googling around, I found one that I think has been missed:

The message is:

For Mein Fraulein

Reply to: pers-185963278@craigslist.org
Date: 2006-07-25, 1:19AM CDT

Mein Fraulein,

Our rendezvous was noted. Perhaps a more intimate venue would serve. I trust in
your discretion. Call me.

806 //// 224 //// 0272

no — it’s NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial
interests

I tried to transcribe the numbers read:

Group 169
00201 30030 27065 00101 50050 73034 00807 10820 65033 01606
50190 68021 02900 80690 18092 09508 50810 66071 09207 10130
64089 11200 40150 09016 00001 40160 67046 07801 80070 03[2?]078
07204 20020 85004 00900 10230 92

I was doing this via Skype at work, though, so it wasn’t the best quality. I wasn’t able to be 100% sure if the 2nd digit of the 30th group was a 2 or 3 and I have no MP3.

Hope this helps.

– fader
God told me to skin you alive

Aug 03, 2006

So, why aren’t these craigslist postings being removed like the first few were?

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