Where some see hacking as the gaining of knowledge, Tabas used his knowledge for personal profit. He worked for a plastic card company that made blanks for credit card companies, and decided to liberate 1,350 of these for future sale. All was well until Steve Dahl agreed to take a reduced sentence in return for arranging a sting. Dahl was given an embossing machine and told to meet Tabas in a bugged hotel room. The rest is history.