The FBI Needs You to Solve this Code

[Brandon Lum]

It's a bit hard to read in the first place, so I thought I'd clean it up for you guys.

? Means I don't know.
/ Indicates or
Spaces are placed wherever given significance on paper.

PAGE ONE


(MNDMUNEARSE-U-S-M-UNARE) (ALSM)
TFRNENITUSENPBSERCEBNSENPRSEINC
PRSENMRSE8PREHLDWLDNCBE (TFXLF/ETCXLUCBE)
AL-PRPPITXLYPPIYNCBEMGKSEWCDRCBRWSEPRSE
WLDRCBRNSENTSGNENTXSE-CRSLE-CITRSEWLDNCD/BE
ALWL/CPNE/CBETSMELISERLSEURGLSNEASNWLDNCBE
(NOPFSENLSRENCBE)H/NTEGDDMNSENCURERCBRWE
(TENETFRNE NCBQTSENCBEIN/WC)
(FLRSEPQSEDNDE71UCBE)
(CDNSEPQSEDNSEE 74NCBE)
PQTSEPRSEONREDE 75NCBE)
(TFUSCMSPSOLEMRDELUSETOTEWLDUWLDNCBE)
(194W/ULD'SNCBE) (TRFXL7)

PAGE TWO

NOTES

ALPNTE GLSE-SE ERTE
VLSE MTSE-CTSE-WSE-FRTSE
PURTRSEONDRSEWLDNCBE
NWLDXLRCMSPNEWLDSTSMEXL
DULMT6/GTUNSENCBEXL/E
----------------------------
(MUNSAISTENMUNARSE)
KLSE-LRSTE-TRSE-TRSE-MRSEN-MRSE
(FAE6/GNSESENMRSE)
----------------------------
NMNRCBHNSEPTE2PTEWSRCBRESE
26MLSE74SPRKSE29KENOSOLE175RTRSE
35GLE CLBSEUUNUTXEDKQSE PSESHLE
6/GSI/1 MTLSEHTLSENCUTCTQSNMQF
99.84.5 2UNEOKSEUCRSEAIKTSEBSKSENBSE
NSREQUSE PV/UTSEWLDUCBE(J/SX9RL)
-----------------------------------
?NMSENRSEIN2NTQLEQCB9MSEU/-TSRCE5U/-E
LSPUSEUG-SPSEMKSERBSE-CBEAUXLR
HMCRENMRESCBE 1/2MUNDPLSE
------------------------------------
D-W-M-4M8/1/IL XDRLX

 

[caligula123]

74SPRKSE29KENOSOLE/// 26ML=26 Miles 175RT=Tire Size SE=Trim RSE=Rose Color

Its auto code and leaves 18 digits, one of those digits is another code, if removed it could be a VIN Number

 

[caligula123]

These are numbers that no one is going to recognize unless they not only work for a dealership but work in an area where the paperwork is fresh.

This code above is exactly how a car is ordered and it may be all code and individual features, which is why some have more numerals than others as they have more options. The only person that would recognize this is the guy who orders the cars, and the guy who gets handed the ticket as that vehicle is rolled off the truck.

No one would know this, to make it worse this is Nissan and different franchises do this differently. Chances are there is a partial vin in there, which is why I cannot pull a car on a vin search. If this were Cheverolet, I could actually tell you each and every code.

This kid was taking vehicles off the truck and marking them one way, then he was working for the pre-owned department and marking them another way. He was tracking his labor.

 

[Brandon Lum]

Hmm. Not about to disagree with you, because this actually makes sense. Though with all the unused letters in there, it is a little sketchy to make out everything.

Does anybody know if the kid was actually employed with anything to do with vehicles? Did the FBI say? I checked, but found nothing.

 

[bluesquishie]

Given the spacing, it wouldn't surprise me if the code were based upon some other text- it could be encoded based upon a page of a book, for example, or even a letter the creator had written.

For example, you could make a very simple cypher based on "Timothy" like so:

T-I-M-O-T-H-Y

could translate to (letters become numerical place in alphabet)

20-9-13-15-20-8-25

and then if you were encoding "secrets"

S-E-C-R-E-T-S

which would be

19-5-3-18-5-20-19

and then added "timothy" to "secrets", "wrapping around" when something equaled 27 or more (27=1, 28=2, etc.) you would get

13-14-16-7-25-2-8

which translated back into letters gets you

M-N-P-G-Y-B-R.

In such a case, it could be very difficult indeed to decode the original message without knowing what text the thing was based on.

Actually no. The cipher you just described is a simple Vigenere cipher. These ciphers have been used and cracked for a long time now. It take me about two minutes to crack such a cipher, so I imagine the FBI could crack it in a few seconds.

 

[caligula123]

Its not exact, but that's what it is and very hard to get through as his handwriting is terrible and not even sure the translation is accurate as typed or if the 26ML is miles. But these codes are generally 1 or two digits and denote all the features ordered with that vehicle.

Some vehicles with the SE Package for instance have standard features that a base will not have, then a higher model will have more standard features. So you get a line of code that looks like this.

What the FBI said was that the guy was a High School dropout but could read and write, well? if your a High school dropout you can make money as a mechanic. But it would appear that was his job or the job of whoever wrote these things down. If a mechanic has a pay dispute he can use his notes to get paid, so most any mechanic has a log.

The references on page one refer to work I believe, oil change, tires, etc. the second page is all new car code and to be honest you just cannot get that code, some of it is on an invoice, but its really only on the initial order and on the inbound slips that the truck driver carries.

We would sit with these codes and order cars, SR=Sunroof LT= Package etc. so your base cars like an LS might have a code for leather, but another package it comes standard, so you wont see that code as its packed in the package. Its clear as day.

He may have been a mechanic as he wrote down all the acronyms for everything that go's on. He has MTSE, CTSE, VLSE, WSE, FRTSE, TRSE, MKSE, MRSE, these are the way around a service dept in an auto dealership, specifically Nissan.

The code cant be broken by a crypto expert because its really not a code. Every letter or two letters is a car build addition or designation.

 

[Brandon Lum]

So it's just basically shorthand?
As in YMAB56 translates into Young Asian Male Black Hair Five foot Six (Police shorthand)

 

[caligula123]

So it's just basically shorthand?
As in YMAB56 translates into Young Asian Male Black Hair Five foot Six (Police shorthand)

He appears to have used short hand or his own abbreviations on page one, that made page two an issue as it did not look the same. Now page two is all car builds from the manfacturer and manufacturer codes. Most of these codes are probably unchanged and if you got a Nissan build sheet I could take an entire line and tell you what the car is, and how it is equipped.

K

 

[Brandon Lum]

Well, alright then. If you are right, then I guess the FBI spent over a decade analyzing personalized shorthand and abbreviations.

 

[caligula123]

It would look something like this
26 = Color
ML = Body
SE = Trim
74 = Roof
SP = Sound Upgrade
RK = Power Passnger Seat
SE = Sport Pack
29 = Running Boards
KEN = Kenwood 6 Disc
OS = Whatever
OLE = Leather
175RT = Tires
RSE = Metallic Rose

I just do not know their codes but that is what the order would resemble. There is not a crypto in the world that is going to catch it as not only is it not encrypted but every manufacturer runs proprietary code that changes often. They wasted a lot of time, especially if they knew what his job was. The only other explanation is that the papers do not belong to the victim. If that is the case when they see this? it will narrow down their search drastically, as they would have a killer mechanic.

 

[Brandon Lum]

Some of those make sense, like the KEN and RSE, but the 29, 26, ML and 74 seem contrived at the least, bullshit at the most.

I'm not calling you a liar, it's just I'm not seeing how the numbers correspond to the parts of the vehicle. That's probably because I'm not employed in that area of work though, so really, I wouldn't know anyways.

There is another theory however, that he was given an incorrect dosage of medication and spilled information in code, so I'm keeping both doors open.

 

[caligula123]

Some of those make sense, like the KEN and RSE, but the 29, 26, ML and 74 seem contrived at the least, bullshit at the most.

I'm not calling you a liar, it's just I'm not seeing how the numbers correspond to the parts of the vehicle. That's probably because I'm not employed in that area of work though, so really, I wouldn't know anyways.

There is another theory however, that he was given an incorrect dosage of medication and spilled information in code, so I'm keeping both doors open.

Brandon,

They don't but that is what they are, I never ordered Nissan's and set that as an example of what an order would like like when fired to a manufacture. There is a binder of codes and a computer when staff order cars, these orders are done based off sales and in some cases special order.

So if you came in and said I want this, this and that, I would right that up off those codes. From there the vehicle would be ordered with those codes and when it arrived it would be what you ordered. They can be confusing but while salesman have access to the codes they rarely remember them, and no one really carries build codes.

I do know how this works, and because of allocations on builds we would man 3 stations of computers with separate codes to get prime product, so I know the codes and how its done but never did it for Nissan. The premise is the same, but the codes I do not know. Now that I do know what these are I could probably break these cars down by build and options if I had the proper codes for that time frame.

Btw? When ordering off codes for a special order? a salesman confirms with client, double checks with the manager that orders as there are changes in allocation orders. So by the time you order that vehicle its checked about 5 times to make sure its right, this is why no one has those dam codes. No one carries them around with them, except maybe a mechanic.

Best,

Kris

 

[Brandon Lum]

I guess. There is arguable evidence for both investigations on which I'm finding.

In short, still inconclusive on either end.

 

[caligula123]

I guess. There is arguable evidence for both investigations on which I'm finding.

In short, still inconclusive on either end.

Brandon,

I do not understand, whats the other investigation?. There is nothing cryptic and if there were it would have been caught. This looked cryptic but in reality its not, the reason it was not caught was probably due to the fact that no criminal has ever used car codes in a crime and for this reason they just did not see anything but some numbers.

It is now 3 days that I am looking at this, and I know the business and still missed it at first and even up until a couple hours ago because the guy was using his own hand and now I have to go back to that as well. Its car code, if it was not car code I would not have lasted all this time.

 

[Zirat]

... be sure to drink your Ovaltine.

Unoriginal Joke For The Win!

But yeah... I got nothing, may want to contact someone who isnt a complete idiot XD

 

[samaugsch]

I broke this and have a fairly complete translation, it is not code which is why they cannot break it.

The guy used his own abbreviations and works in an industry that most do not know, I think the Feds might be disappointed though as its work related.

Good luck with it, took me 8 hours.

K

Lol, bullshit.

Post what it means

No B.S, all they had to do was walk those pieces of paper into his employer and they would have known this guy for sure. He must have given them a real headache.

Let them have this first as I do not know what they want me to do with it and its possible others broke through it as well. I am really not sure to be honest as I know the industry and struggled, the use of various numbers put me onto it early, but its very hard to read.

Post the answer and put it in spoiler tags.

 

[samaugsch]

Could just be the guy was off his nut and wrote what he thought were the secrets of the universe (told to him by psychic aliens) in what he thought was a perfectly valid code, but actually it's literally the scribblings of a madman. We have any clues to his mental health etc other than that he was obsessed with codes.

Actually, that makes perfect sense to me. I'll go with that. Either that or the guy was trolling.

 

[SolomonG679]

I see one solution we must find the DeLorean and then go back and ask him what the message is, or watch him and see what happens to him if he didn't write it then ask the person that did.

 

[Inglonias]

MTSE= Maintenance VLSE= refers to a Nissan distributor program WSE= Provides used cars and parts to Nissan.

FRTSE= A website that was Nissan geared and went offline in 1998.

The VIN Number is 17 digits starts JN2_ S _S? _G_ C _ X and then I lost conversions. T=Origin Oppama Japan U= Stanza L= Production sequence BK= is Black I think.

Second page is a ***** because he is grabbing cars by color, vin, plate, and various ways and still working on that. But Mechanics work book time, so to keep a dealer honest and make sure you get paid you log your jobs, those jobs can be cross referenced by vin, plate, and various ways.

Then tell the FBI about it. If they like what you have to say, they may listen.

Another problem is that since the FBI had 11 years to go at this, then we don't know exactly what the FBI has already tried. They could release their notes if not on the case, then on the notes themselves. They probably can't, but it would be very helpful if we knew what they had tried already

 

[The_ModeRazor]

"Rosebud."

Spoiled it for ya