Fraud Rule: Clear Your Home Computer Before You Start Phony Trading

By John Carney

jerome kerveil computer.jpgThe news that the police have seized French rogue trader Jerome Kerviel’s personal computer reminds us of a important rule of criminal behavior: don’t have anything incriminating on your home computer. We’re not just talking about a spreadsheet detailing your phony hedges. Anything that is even embarrassing to you or your friends and family can—and probably will—be used against you by the authorities. Legal culpability or admissibility is no guarantee of safety. Emails about an illicit affair? That’ll end up in the papers. Awkward conversations about a drunken weekend? You’ll be hearing about that on the evening news. Huge collection of music downloads? You’re not only a rogue trader, you’re a copyright pirate. That’ll make the news. The point is to drive the accused to confess, by almost any means necessary.
We can hope that this kind of abusive prosecution might someday be stopped. By hoping isn’t a strategy. Erasing your hard-drive is.
SocGen trader’s PC seized from brother’s flat [Reuters]

Comments (10)

  1. 1
    Posted by Anonymous | January 31, 2008 at 4:50 PM

    Would downloaded 2girls1cup be entered as evidence?

  2. 2
    Posted by Anal_yst | January 31, 2008 at 4:54 PM

    So wait, all that borderline-legal pron can get you in trouble? Anyone know where to get a sizeable electro-magnet?

  3. 3
    Posted by Anonymosity | January 31, 2008 at 4:58 PM

    I hear Jerome is a big Journey fan.

  4. 4
    Posted by Steven Perry | January 31, 2008 at 5:00 PM

    Remember Jerome, the wheel in the sky keeps on turnin…

  5. 5
    Posted by Bess Fan No. 1 | January 31, 2008 at 5:43 PM

    Keep away from pacemaker, automobile, braces, etc.
    http://www.semshred.com/content606.html

  6. 6
    Posted by quant_wannabe | January 31, 2008 at 6:27 PM

    it’s called TrueCrypt. learn to love it.

  7. 7
    Posted by PJ | January 31, 2008 at 7:14 PM

    Darik’s boot and nuke. Then they cannot find your German, midget beastiality downloads

  8. 8
    Posted by FRAT STUD | January 31, 2008 at 11:24 PM

    Guys at my high school wiped their hard drives all the time, it was no big deal.

  9. 9
    Posted by French Lover | January 31, 2008 at 11:32 PM

    I thought in France the stuff you’re talking about was not just tolerated but even endorsed by the authorities. After all, their prez is banging his mistress!

  10. 10
    Posted by Disinterested Observer | February 1, 2008 at 1:35 AM

    Sarkozy is no longer married, so the beauteous Carla Bruni is not his mistress, but his steady girlfriend. New Yorkers may be amazed that a divorce can be arranged in such a short time. Naturally, adult relations between Sarkozy and Carla have transpired.
    It was the married Mitterand who had the mistress and a love child to boot. Sarkozy is trying to convince the French that divorce and post-divorce dating are much less hypocritical than the traditional French approach of staying married and keeping a mistress.
    Thanks for the thoughts on the evidentiary value of personal computers. Who knows what will happen when McCain makes Giuliani Director of Homeland Security. And you thought that being forced to take your shoes off at the airport was annoying!

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