RISTOL FOUND NOT Arne Raymond Ristol (Computer Fraud & Security Bulletin, Vol 1,

GUILTY: BLAMES No 1) who was accused of stealing $927 000 from the United Bank

ASSOCIATE of California was found not guilty when he appeared before the

Courts. His associate - Ralph Ernste.in - faced an indictment

including conspiracy, grand theft and receiving stolen property.

The essence of Ristol's defence was that he was misled by Ernstein

who told him the unexpected credit of $927 000 to his personal

account was a "finder's fee" for a property deal in which they

had been involved.

CUT PRICE CAR PARKING

CRIME AND GAMBLING

NEW COURSE TO BEAT COMPUTER CRIMINAL

A group of schoolboys in Great Yarmouth found an easy way of

making additional pocket money. The Town Council installed

computer controlled ticket machines at a number of the resort's

car parks. The machines cost El6 000.

Members of the public wishing to use the car parks would collect

a serially numbered ticket on the way in. This would be logged

in the computer memory and after the motorist recovered his car,

he would key in the serial number of his ticket at the exit

barrier and the fee would be computed. When cash to the required

amount was dropped in the coin slot, the exit barrier would lift.

The schoolboys, one of them 11 years old, found a way to fiddle

the "fiddle-proof" computer and at the exit gate would offer to

let motorists out for a fraction of the proper fee. One driver

who was offered a discount was Town Councillor Gordon Chapman.

A spokesman said, "It's a complete mystery how these kids worked

out a way to beat the computer."

Kevin Field, an ex-Manager of one of Ladbroke's betting shops has

to be the luckiest fraudsman ever. Mr Robert Booker, who prose-

cuted at Basingstoke, Hampshire, told the Court that Field, who

had pleaded guilty to stealing !i450 from his employer, took money

and gambled it at a rival bookmakers. The unusual thing about

the case is that Mr Field won and showed a profit of E5685.91.

Field was fined El250 with f26 costs. After repaying Ladbrokes

for the amount stolen, paying his legal costs and fines, he was

left with a profit of E2000.

And so who says crime never pays!

The amount of valuable and sensitive information being trans-

mitted and stored by computers is increasing, and companies must

take effective steps to safeguard against intrusion or fraud.

IBM has developed data security and encryption techniques, which

have been adopted in the USA as a standard for the secure trans-

mission of data.

COMPUTER~~B~~&SECUBITYBULlETW Vol2 No3 19