| Telephone Company Invoices Vs. Call Records By George Molczan |
There is a distinct difference between invoices subscribers receive from their local or
long-distance telephone service providers and call records obtainable by subpoena,
search warrant or court order.
The examples in the following figures show the general format of a subscriber long-
distance invoice and a call record. The notable differences are:
The following examples are typical invoice and call record formats for a call that
originated at phone number 206-555-0112 and called 509-555-0192.
Invoice or Billing Record Format
Day Date Time Number Where Period Min Amt
Thu 10/21/2002 5:21 PM 509-555-0192 Scholls OR Eve 66.0 12.10
Call Record Format
Switch Structure Call CIC Date Time Orig. Term Elapsed Orig. Trk Term Trk
ID code Type Number Number Time Group Group
400 50500 6 288 10/21/02 17:21:44 2065550112 5095550192 3956 3784
Requests for call records can result in hundreds and thousands of call records. When
requesting call records consider requesting them in electronic format (floppy disk or
CD) in a common database format. Having call records on disk in Microsoft Excel or
similar database format simplifies the task of locating records of interest.
Having an understanding of where and why telephone companies generate call records
equips the investigator with a starting point in the search for evidence. Knowing call
records contain more useful information (as compared to the information provided on a
invoice), requesting call records in electronic format is highly recommended.
long-distance telephone service providers and call records obtainable by subpoena,
search warrant or court order.
The examples in the following figures show the general format of a subscriber long-
distance invoice and a call record. The notable differences are:
- Call records include incoming and outgoing call information; invoices include
outgoing calls only. (Usually only outgoing long-distance calls).
- Call records include incoming and outgoing trunking information, which can be
useful in tracking calls through the telephone network.
- Call records include the Carrier Identification Code (CIC), another useful piece of
data for tracking calls backwards through the telephone network.
- Call records from cellular providers include the cell site and in some cases the
Electronic Serial Number (ESN) of the phone placing the call. The cell site
information is helpful in determining the general area from which a call was placed.
- Call records from pay phones can be gold mines. They can include dialed digits
past the number dialed. For example a call record may show the caller dialed an
800 number and the calling card number and the end user number that was called.
The following examples are typical invoice and call record formats for a call that
originated at phone number 206-555-0112 and called 509-555-0192.
Invoice or Billing Record Format
Day Date Time Number Where Period Min Amt
Thu 10/21/2002 5:21 PM 509-555-0192 Scholls OR Eve 66.0 12.10
Call Record Format
Switch Structure Call CIC Date Time Orig. Term Elapsed Orig. Trk Term Trk
ID code Type Number Number Time Group Group
400 50500 6 288 10/21/02 17:21:44 2065550112 5095550192 3956 3784
Requests for call records can result in hundreds and thousands of call records. When
requesting call records consider requesting them in electronic format (floppy disk or
CD) in a common database format. Having call records on disk in Microsoft Excel or
similar database format simplifies the task of locating records of interest.
Having an understanding of where and why telephone companies generate call records
equips the investigator with a starting point in the search for evidence. Knowing call
records contain more useful information (as compared to the information provided on a
invoice), requesting call records in electronic format is highly recommended.
______________________
Copyright © 2005 George Molczan, all right reserved.
The information provided herein should not be considered as legal advice. The reader is advised
to seek legal counsel regarding use and/or application of call records or any other information
provided herein.
The information provided herein should not be considered as legal advice. The reader is advised
to seek legal counsel regarding use and/or application of call records or any other information
provided herein.
Last updated 11-18-05