Reverse Gear [Was [LINK] Clarkson stung after bank prank]

[Adam Todd]

Roger, the bank is Barclays :)

5th Paragraph :)




At 09:45 AM 8/01/2008, Roger Clarke wrote:
>[This report appeared in the BBC's Entertainment 
>section.  It's very much to be hoped that more 
>thoughtful ones will appear under Business and 
>under Technology.  Comments at end.]
>
>Clarkson stung after bank prank
>BBC News
>Monday, 7 January 2008, 11:56 GMT
>http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7174760.stm
>
>TV presenter Jeremy Clarkson has lost money 
>after publishing his bank details in his newspaper column.
>
>The Top Gear host revealed his account numbers 
>after rubbishing the furore over the loss of 25 
>million people's personal details on two computer discs.
>
>He wanted to prove the story was a fuss about nothing.
>
>But Clarkson admitted he was "wrong" after he 
>discovered a reader had used the details to 
>create a £500 direct debit to the charity Diabetes UK.
>
>Clarkson published details of his Barclays 
>account in the Sun newspaper, including his 
>account number and sort code. He even told people how to find out his address.
>
>"All you'll be able to do with them is put money 
>into my account. Not take it out. Honestly, I've 
>never known such a palaver about nothing," he told readers.
>
>But he was proved wrong, as the 47-year-old wrote in his Sunday Times column.
>"I opened my bank statement this morning to find 
>out that someone has set up a direct debit which 
>automatically takes £500 from my account," he said.
>
>"The bank cannot find out who did this because 
>of the Data Protection Act and they cannot stop it from happening again.
>
>"I was wrong and I have been punished for my mistake."
>
>Police were called in to search for the two 
>discs, which contained the entire database of 
>child benefit claimants and apparently got lost in the post in October 2007.
>
>They were posted from HM Revenue and Customs 
>offices in Tyne and Wear, but never turned up at 
>their destination - the National Audit Office.
>
>The loss, which led to an apology from Prime 
>Minister Gordon Brown, created fears of identity fraud.
>
>Clarkson now says of the case: "Contrary to what 
>I said at the time, we must go after the idiots 
>who lost the discs and stick cocktail sticks in 
>their eyes until they beg for mercy."
>
>
>[COMMENTS:
>
>1.  "The bank cannot find out who did this 
>because of the Data Protection Act  ..."
>
>That's one of the grossest BOTPAs of all time:
>http://www.privacy.org.au/Resources/BOTPA.html
>
>It's entirely false of course.  Does a statute 
>have standing to sue for defamation?
>
>2.  "The bank ... cannot stop it from happening again"
>
>2A.  Implied:  "The bank couldn't have stopped it from happening"
>
>Unmitigated rubbish.
>
>Before exercising a payment instruction that it 
>receives, a bank requires provision of some kind of authenticator.
>
>Clarkson should ask his bank on what basis it 
>determined that the direct debit instruction was 
>requested or authorised by the customer (or by 
>an approved agent for the customer).
>
>There are then several possibilities, including:
>-   masquerade (e.g. forged signature)
>-   inadequate care by the customer (e.g. 
>allowing capture of a PIN or password to be
>     observed, or writing it down, or giving it 
> to someone else, or giving it to someone
>     else for one transaction and forgetting 
> that it would enable more than one)
>-   error by the bank
>-   inadequate procedures by the bank
>
>Clarkson has demonstrated himself many times to 
>be an entertaining idiot, so customer 
>culpability can't be ruled out.  But the facts 
>as reported don't support it, because there are 
>many circumstances in which bank account details 
>need to be published (e.g. they're on every 
>invoice my company ever sends out).  So 
>publication of them in a column doesn't even 
>come close to being contributory negligence.
>
>In short, the bank needs to be named, and pursued with vigour.
>
>
>--
>Roger Clarke                  http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/
>
>Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd      78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA
>                    Tel: +61 2 6288 1472, and 6288 6916
>mailto:Roger.Clarke at xamax.com.au                http://www.xamax.com.au/
>
>Visiting Professor in Info Science & Eng  Australian National University
>Visiting Professor in the eCommerce Program      University of Hong Kong
>Visiting Professor in the Cyberspace Law & Policy Centre      Uni of NSW
>_______________________________________________
>Link mailing list
>Link at mailman.anu.edu.au
>http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link