“The ‘Phonemasters’ tapped into the nation’s power grid,
obtained private White House numbers and rooted around
credit-reporting agencies. Here’s how accountant-turned-sleuth
Michael Morris cracked the case.
“The tale of Morris and Cantrell is among the first
cops-and-robber stories of the New Economy, involving, among other
things, the first-ever use of an FBI “data tap.” It illustrates how
the nation’s law-enforcement agencies are scrambling to reinvent
their profession in a frantic effort to keep pace with brilliant
and restless young hackers.”
“Cantrell was part of an eleven-member group dubbed “The
Phonemasters” by the FBI. The breadth of their monkey-wrenching
was staggering; at various times, they could eavesdrop on phone
calls, compromise secure databases, and redirect communications at
will.”