Do you want to guarantee that your favorite contestant becomes the next American Idol? A hundred or so tech-savvy fans of the hit Fox television show sure do. As "Tech Live" reports tonight, these so-called wardialers are using computers to take automatic redial to a whole new level.

Kevin Mitnick, former hacker and author of the forthcoming book "Art of Deception," said, "Somebody has figured out, 'Hey, I want to vote a thousand times, so I'm gonna use this piece of software and have my computer do it for me."

With the help of fast Internet connections and autodialing software, wardialers, also known as power dialers, can make thousands of calls from a single phone line. This is no new phenomenon, but for those running contests, keeping things fair is a serious problem.

How it works

Computer modems automate dialing and can be programmed easily to perform customized routines such as "Hit 7 to vote for Justin."

Mitnick says it's easy to get programs to perform such tasks. "ProComm Plus is an example. It comes with its own scripting language, so it's really a no-brainer," Mitnick said. "Script-savvy folks write a quick program to dial a particular telephone number such as a toll-free 800 number, wait a few seconds, and then enter the touch tone for the number 2, hang up, and then repeat the process again. It could be only six lines of code. Anyone with a PC and the software could do it."

Notorious contest phreaker

Jamming phone lines to up the chances of winning is nothing new.

The most famous contest phone phreaker, or an advanced wardialer, is ex-hacker turned security journalist Kevin Poulsen.

In 1990 Poulsen figured out how to monopolize the telephone lines going into radio station KIIS-FM in Los Angeles. Poulsen knew how to be that magical 102nd caller, and for his efforts won a Porsche 944 S2. Poulsen also won cash prizes and trips to Hawaii.

Poulsen was sentenced to four years in prison with conditional probation thereafter. The terms of his probation said that he could not use a computer for three years. He was also fined $58,000.

Repeat callers vs. phreakers

Radio DJs and producers know that they have to distinguish between loyal listeners and cheaters.

The hosts of 107.7 The Bone in San Francisco say they welcome repeat callers.

"They love to participate. They love to talk to people," host Gina Horan said. "And if you listen to the same two or three or four people every morning, they become your friends."

But they also try to keep things fair.

Host Steven Seaweed said, "I always put a line on hold and then wait about 30 seconds or so and let the lines settle down, and then you get a truly random call."

Being first

This practice isn't limited to contests and giveaways.

Prime restaurants and golf courses use call-ins as a way to make reservations available in a fair and arbitrary manner.

Wardialers who figure out any of these systems can digitally push their way to the front of any line.

Chat about this hot topic tonight at 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Eastern with reporter Becky Worley, producer Lindsay Martell, and managing editor Dan Brekke. Register to chat.