  Bryan-College Station residents are under investigation for several thousand
dollars of long distance toll fraud abuse, says a spokesman for U.S.  Telecom
Inc.
 
  Tim Bowring, assistant vice president for corporate communications for U.S.
Telecom in Kansas City Mo., says the investigations are part of a multi- milliondollar loss suffered by long distance services in Texas.
 
  "We noticed an unuaual amount of numbers being dialed out of the switching
center for the Texas A&M campus area," Bowring says.  "After we identified wherethe abuse was occurring we canceled many of the abused codes."
 
  When the investigations are completed students will be encouraged to come
forward and make restitution for the calls, Bowring says.
 
  "Students are breaking federal law and are subject to fines," Bowring says.
"They just aren't getting free phone calls."
 
  Long distance service companies across the notion have lost an estimated $500
million through toll fraud abuse, says a spokesman for MCI Telecommunica- tions
Inc.
 
  John Houser, corporate public relations director for MCI in Washington, D.C.,
says the Secret Service is being called in to investigate the fraud.
 
  Bowring says most people don't realize the illegal calls are a felony,
punishable by a $50,000 fine or by 15 years in jail.
 
  "Our purpose is to stop the abuse," Bowring says.  "We prefer not to
prosecute.  The best solution of all is for code abusers to come forward and
make restitution for the calls.
 
  "This investigation is like a drug bust.  We don't want to get the person witha half-ounce of marijuana, we want the big dealer."
 
  Houser says Communications Fraud Control Association, an organization of 34
long distance companies, has banded together to identify where the fraud is
occuring across the states and to assist federal officials with the investi-
gations.
 
  "Monitoring systems are being used to detect frequently dialed codes, and thenthe calls will be traced and the suspects will be apprehended," Houser says.
 
  He says there are several ways people can get these free numbers.
 
  "There are computer hackers who just keep dialing numbers until they find one
that works," Houser says.  "I've even heard of instances in New York where you
can buy a code off the street for $2."
 
  Bowring says even though the investigations are preliminary, they have been
done in other areas and were succesful.
 
  "Tell students don't do it," he says.  "It isn't worth it."
 
 