Employee fired after outsourcing his own job to China
An American man is out of a paycheque after he was busted for outsourcing his job to China for about a fifth of his six-figure salary.
The whole scam came to light when a security audit on Verizon flagged access from an unusual location.
What investigators found was that someone was accessing the company's virtual private network from a foreign computer, located in Shenyang, China.
The employee actually mailed his RSA key – a special security token – to China. This way, the outsourced contractor would be able to log in and get the work done without a hitch.
The Chinese also logged on at the same time he would usually log on to get work done in America, 9-to-5.
While the American man's company was shifting more of it's staff toward “telecommuting” - working from wherever you are remotely using a computer, this took it to the whole next level.
And instead of working on, well, work, the BBC reports that the man was looking up cat videos, reading stories on Reddit and browsing eBay. He probably also spent some more time with his kids, considering that he was described as a “family man.”
What's more is that the man in his 40s wasn't just scamming Verizon – but possibly other companies as well. According to Net-secuirty.org, logs on his computer suggested “he had the same scam going across multiple companies in the area” where he lived.
So if he paid the Chinese contractor about about $50,000 to do the work, and the reports say that sum was one-fifth of his salary, this personal outsourcer was likely pulling in $250,000 a year.
If only he didn't keep PDFs on his computer with the invoices for the outsourced work.
Would you outsource your own work to China for a fifth of your salary?
- Maurice Cacho, MSN Tech & GadgetsComments
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Posted by: Computer on Module | Jan 17, 2013 8:26:12 AM
Well... I know a lot of people who do the same. I mean... outsourcing their work esp if the work does not require hands on activity.
Posted by: J | Jan 18, 2013 2:38:21 AM
Now we need a follow up on the Chinese who did the work. Did Verison give them a job? If so, what's the salary?
Posted by: Lisa | Jan 18, 2013 6:14:56 AM
As instructed in the 4 hour work week. Tim would be proud.
Posted by: Clinton | Jan 18, 2013 8:52:30 AM
It is not news, we all know much of the government projects have been picked up by relatives, associates, friends of insiders and they inturn subcontract the projects to a third-party, or forth-party. Those people just dine and wine with government officials and take much of tax payers money without doing any work. Check the government auditor reports, we have many jerks like this in our country, in every country............
Posted by: Trevor | Jan 18, 2013 10:50:02 AM
The jig is up! "I would have gotten away with it if it were not for those kids" Now I'll have to find some other sucker to do my job. Hmm, off to the golf course while I figure out a new strategy.
Posted by: Herry69 | Jan 18, 2013 11:07:28 AM
harper and the corruption party do this all the time. they even take jobs away from canadians and then give them to chinese. this IS treason because it is the government doing this. in some countries, treason is punisible by death. so, hopefully, harper will be in jail ASAP !!!!!
Posted by: TeeRoy | Jan 18, 2013 11:17:06 AM
Technically, he was sub-contracting, which may violate 'terms of employment'. The only 'real' violation was giving the company access to their network.
Companies do this all the time! So, while remarkable, it shouldn't illicit any kind of outcry...
Posted by: sosew | Jan 18, 2013 11:38:50 AM
smart but not smart enough
Posted by: Josh | Jan 18, 2013 1:25:27 PM
I agree! HARPER SHOULD BE IN JAIL!!!!
HES CRIMINAL!
Posted by: phil | Jan 18, 2013 2:00:08 PM
Not Treason........... look it up in the Dictionary. And, it's not punishable by death any longer either.
Every country does it, so get used to it. It's the future!!.
Posted by: Romko | Jan 18, 2013 2:22:22 PM
Outsourcing is the biggest craze that big corporations and small companies have been in for many years now. It's all about profit and a lot more of it every year! The CEO's and exec's who run these companies are the ones who stand to gain the most. In return they diminish the work force for their own gain. They are shooting themselves in the foot and the rest of this country as well. It's simple arithmetic. Remove the high payed salary of production workers here and replace them with cheap labour of some 3rd world country (or even child labour). And voila, 10-20 times more profit! Even when shipping out the raw materials from this country to produce anything you wish and have them assembled cheaply and even shipping it back here for sale is still very profitable. What does that mean for our unemployed people here in Canada. Well, they now have to re-educate themselves to go into another field of work. All easier said then done, especially if someone has been doing the same job for 25 yrs. and then has to go back to school. What is happening is the middle class, as we know it, is on it's way out. Has Harper ever thought about that? Who will be paying the taxes in the future? Only the rich? That's because there will be no more middle class to do so. The CEO's, exec's, and Harper have the same agenda, get rich now because me, myself and I are only important in this life. Trading with China seem's like common sense since it is emerging as the #1 Nation to become the biggest economic power globaly. But at what cost and what will be the end result of doing buisness with someone who will erradicate most of our skilled tradespeople? Right now in every household of North America you can count at least 10-50 items that any given family has purchased in the last year that are made in China. Look at Obama, who is now forced to tax the rich more now. It's only a matter of time before Canada get's into the same predicament as the US. God bless this country! I only hope that when my children reach retirement that they will not be paid in Yuan or Renminbi !
Posted by: Steve | Jan 18, 2013 2:39:56 PM
Smart guy, I would of never thought to do that lol
Posted by: Mort | Jan 18, 2013 2:50:57 PM
Apparently it's only acceptable for Corporate America to outsource....
Posted by: gib | Jan 18, 2013 3:11:19 PM
plse say: I would "have", not I would "of" as, of is a preposition and not to be used instead of the word have. Thanks
Posted by: jmc | Jan 18, 2013 3:45:36 PM
and, TeeRoy, "elicit" not "illicit"
Posted by: Paul | Jan 18, 2013 10:55:02 PM
The only reason that he was put into the lime light was probably because the company didn't think of doing this out sourcing first......Hmmm I wonder..... now that its been done you don't supose that they're thinking of doing it now do you.....nah they couldn't be, or could they....
Posted by: Gordon | Jan 20, 2013 11:49:42 AM
Dumb company, smart worker.
Posted by: thomas | Jan 23, 2013 7:18:22 AM
Brilliant list, has made sourcing good content for reading and blogging much better, also some great inspiration in there.
Posted by: Sami Shark | Jan 25, 2013 1:18:12 PM
I would have
Posted by: web | Jan 26, 2013 8:28:04 AM
this is true that china has the most cheapest labor !