Account Numbers
by Tau

Every screen name on AOL has a ten digit identification number. The master screen name's number has a special name. It is called the account number, also known as the account ID. An account number is supposed to be only accessible to AOL employees who use CRIS and Merlin, but recent discoveries allow anyone to access their account number.

The ability to get an account number has hitherto only been possible through a loophole on the Macintosh AOL 2.7 client. Now, a method has been discovered to view account numbers on PCs.

Dime has discovered how to obtain account numbers on PCs. Basically, going to the Member Help Interactive form and viewing the source shows your account number and screen name number. Without going through all that, you can click the link below (On AOL Only) then view the source and scroll down.

aol://4344:69.q_win.8150809.614186148

This will open a web page entitled "AOL for Windows Technical Support" which begins with:

Hello you, and Welcome to AOL's Member Help Interactive Windows Technical Support area! Online Technical Representatives are available 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.

And so on. Right click in an area of the web page and click "View Source". Scroll down to the near bottom.

If you are on the main master screen name it will look this:

If you are on any other name on the account (a subaccount) it will look like this:

On the first image you can clearly see the account number. In the second image the account number is shown then the subaccount's number is shown. Depending if you are on the master screen name or a subaccount you will see something like one of these images, except with different numbers.

If either number has only nine digits just add a zero before it and you have the full number.

Knowing an account number is like a child knowing his Social Security number. He will probably not need to know it, but he memorizes it just because it is a number that identifies who he is and that makes him feel important. Just like the Social Security number identifies the child, this number identifies your account. And just like the child, you don't need to know it. However, it is interesting to see it. Maybe you have an elite account number (LOL) like "1010101010". It's possible, but you will never know unless you go and look at it.

Having your accounts number is not completely useless though. For example, the account number for Guest is 7777777777 and New User is 5555555555. Sign on either of these numbers as you would a normal screen name by either hexing the main.idx file or use a switch screen name form. Signing on 7777777777 brings you to the Guest form and 5555555555 to the New User form. Attempts to sign on any other account number have failed.

Read the following excerpt from MSF (3/15/99). SETI means Spam Email Targeting Interface.

If a member claims that they have a legitimate reason to send bulk email and the CAT296 is reactivated, the member must send an email to screen name WhiteSpams with an explanation of why bulk email exemption is needed followed by the member's account number. This email goes to the SETI team, and within 24 hours they will review the account and place the member in a bulk email exempt category, so SETI doesn't accidentally action the member the next time they send bulk email. Please make sure that you inform the member not to send any bulk email for the next 24 hours, to avoid being re-actioned by SETI.

I did this (sent an email to WhiteSpams with an explanation of why I needed this followed by my account number) and a few hours later I got an e-mail from the same screen name saying that I had been accepted and that I could now send unlimited emails from any name on the account. Also, an asterisk appeared after my mailbox title, I suspect because I am now on the exemption list.