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Nick - Pie Man
Joined: 04 Aug 2010
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| Post subject: Ethical Quandary |  |
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I'm stumped by this one and would welcome some alternative points of view.
The company I work for uses custom point of sale software that has been written in a scripting language and runs through a browser.
Being me, I have thoroughly explored the source code and found every backdoor, vulnerability and password.
So I pretty much have access to the data on every server in the company (and theres over a hundred outlets out there)
I've told them this repeatedly but to date they haven't bothered installing any sort of security on their system.
Anyway. Yesterday I was in another store's system. There is a national competition going on at the moment with a big prize, a new car going to the winning store. The store I was accessing was in the top five and I wanted to make sure they were not cheating. I found no evidence of cheating but shitloads of evidence that one of the store's employees has been stealing from the franchisee for the last two months.
Clusters of dockets, all paid for, all cancelled around the same time late at night by the same person. Tell me that isn't a manager with sticky fingers, I have a bridge to sell you.
The dilemma is simple. I want to report this to the franchisee, but I can't do it without admitting to my own wrongdoing. On the other hand I can't do nothing and let this stooge carry on thieving (and earning more money than me, most likely) |
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MJ23
Joined: 28 Feb 2011
Location: Sydney
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Sounds like I work in the same industry as yourself, a large chain also.
I'd be looking to promote you rather than punish especially given the intelligence and concern you've shown on system security issues - sounds like you should have someone else's job.
However, not all senior execs are smart enough to think this way and can be petty with their own short comings on display.
My company has a "hotline" which is a confidential number and can be anonymous. If that's not available, send an anonymous letter to senior execs or security.
People who defraud the business will have no hesitation in stealing from their co-workers. Whether its associate level, middle management or at the executive they should be uncovered and punished to the full extent.
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"Even when Im old and gray, I wont be able to play but Ill still love the game"
Michael Jordan |
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Member 7167 
"What Good Fortune For Governments That The People Do Not Think" - Adolf Hitler.
Joined: 18 Dec 2008
Location: The Collibran Hideout
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Agree Mj23, these individuals are best exposed and removed from the payroll. Nick if you own this exposure it could end up with you being compromised as well. Just create a dummy gmail or hotmail account, draft an appropriate email and send it to as many head office people as possible. With it being so public the individual will be bought to account.
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Now Retired - Every Day Is A Saturday |
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stui magpie 
Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
Joined: 03 May 2005
Location: In flagrante delicto
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Another option, find out what the "Whistleblower" legislation is in your state, i forget where you are now.
Vic has some pretty serious whistleblower legislation although it's not called that now which protects people who report issues.
_________________
Every dead body on Mt Everest was once a highly motivated person, so maybe just calm the **** down. |
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David 
to wish impossible things
Joined: 27 Jul 2003
Location: the edge of the deep green sea
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I'd imagine your company has some form of anonymous hotline—or, if not, it should be easy enough to find your own means of anonymously tipping them off. Once you've done that, it's in their hands.
This is all a little Stalinist for my liking, but stealing is stealing. This person is going to be discovered sooner or later, and I suspect 'sooner' is better for them and the company.
_________________
"Every time we witness an injustice and do not act, we train our character to be passive in its presence." – Julian Assange |
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swoop42 
Whatcha gonna do when he comes for you?
Joined: 02 Aug 2008
Location: The 18
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Blackmail him/her and make yourself some money.
It's the Nick's way.
_________________
He's mad. He's bad. He's MaynHARD! |
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David
to wish impossible things
Joined: 27 Jul 2003
Location: the edge of the deep green sea
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I hope you don't mind me hijacking your thread, Nick, but I've got an ethical quandary of my own:
A housemate passed on an ad on gumtree for someone looking for 'help' with their university essay. After some thought, I wrote back and said that I would draw the line at actually writing any content and wouldn't accept money for it, but that I would be happy to help them work through some of the ideas and put it together.
Once they've written it, would it be acceptable for me to proofread it for them? Or would that still constitute collusion?
_________________
"Every time we witness an injustice and do not act, we train our character to be passive in its presence." – Julian Assange |
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Nick - Pie Man
Joined: 04 Aug 2010
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^ Yeah, um, no. Even if I wanted to I wouldn't know how
| Member 7167 wrote: | | Nick if you own this exposure it could end up with you being compromised as well. |
Unfortunately I think you are correct.
I have no intention of letting HQ know that their very expensive point of sale system is riddled with security issues. I made it clear to them in the past, often, that the issues were there, and they haven't done a thing ..... maybe I was speaking to the wrong person, maybe they don't understand the significance of the issues, or maybe they just don't care. I can understand their point of view, sales have been down for some time, there have been some fairly senior people moved on recently, and some marketing issues, and they don't need some smart arse sending them a list of everything that's wrong with their POS system. I understand that.
My concern is for the franchisee (my own boss lost a couple of grand to a thief not four weeks ago) and to a lesser extent my ego for having caught this guy.
So I am going to communicate with the store owner anonymously and just gently bring these unusual cancellations to his attention.
Ironically (stupidly, perhaps) this morning I found another thief in another store, in NSW this time, and boy this guy is brazen, he would have walked out with a week's wage in his pocket last night.
It seems that this whole industry is full of managers with sticky fingers. In the last half a year there have been five incidents, and that's just the ones I'm aware of. |
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Nick - Pie Man
Joined: 04 Aug 2010
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| David wrote: | I hope you don't mind me hijacking your thread, Nick, but I've got an ethical quandary of my own:
A housemate passed on an ad on gumtree for someone looking for 'help' with their university essay. After some thought, I wrote back and said that I would draw the line at actually writing any content and wouldn't accept money for it, but that I would be happy to help them work through some of the ideas and put it together.
Once they've written it, would it be acceptable for me to proofread it for them? Or would that still constitute collusion? |
Proofreading for grammar and spelling should be ok. We ask computers to do it so it should be ok with a human. As long as you don't give any feedback as to the quality of the arguments or referencing or whatever it is that will earn them a grade.
I often ask people to proofread my assignments but only for spelling, grammar and comprehensibility. |
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David
to wish impossible things
Joined: 27 Jul 2003
Location: the edge of the deep green sea
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| Nick - Pie Man wrote: | | As long as you don't give any feedback as to the quality of the arguments or referencing or whatever it is that will earn them a grade. |
See, that's interesting—I tend to view it less as a competition than a "the more they learn the better" kind of thing. That is, if my feedback helps them in their future work, then all to the good.
What I think I need to be more wary of is actually doing it for them. If that happens, they won't learn a thing and their degree will be useless.
_________________
"Every time we witness an injustice and do not act, we train our character to be passive in its presence." – Julian Assange |
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Nick - Pie Man
Joined: 04 Aug 2010
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| Not to mention that it's a form of academic fraud - if we both earn HDs and I got mine though hard work and you got yours by paying someone else to do it, not only have you got yourself a useless degree but you've also devalued mine. |
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HAL
Please don't shout at me - I can't help it.
Joined: 17 Mar 2003
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| David wrote: | [quote="Nick - Pie Man"]As long as you don't give any feedback as to the quality of the arguments or referencing or whatever it is that will earn them a grade.[/quote]
See, that's interesting—I tend to view it less as a competition than a "the more they learn the better" kind of thing. That is, if my feedback helps them in their future work, then all to the good.
What I think I need to be more wary of is actually doing it for them. If that happens, they won't learn a thing and their degree will be useless. |
I don't see the difficulty. |
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Nick - Pie Man
Joined: 04 Aug 2010
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Great success. The thief is going to lose his job tomorrow, the franchisee is grateful for the information I provided (and mildly embarrassed that he had been stooged for so long), and Nick escapes with a thank you and a free pizza instead of a visit to the police station. Shame that I am not in the correct city to be claiming that pizza.
Sometimes it pays to put self interest aside and do the right thing. Who knew? |
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swoop42
Whatcha gonna do when he comes for you?
Joined: 02 Aug 2008
Location: The 18
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Free pizza.
I would have went with my suggestion.
_________________
He's mad. He's bad. He's MaynHARD! |
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stui magpie
Prepare for the worst, hope for the best.
Joined: 03 May 2005
Location: In flagrante delicto
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And in the meantime, you can snoop on all the shops and play the anonymous hero, finding crooks, fighting crime etc.
You need a uniform and a decent moniker.
How bout "Nerdboy"? You could wear a cape, a Bill gates mask and a uniform with pizza stains on the front. 
_________________
Every dead body on Mt Everest was once a highly motivated person, so maybe just calm the **** down. |
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