NationStates Jolt Archive

There's nothing sweeter than seeing a pompous ass fall flat on his face:
Clarkson stung after bank prank

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 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."
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/7174760.stm

kudos to the hacker who didn't do it for personal gain, only to send the msg to Clarkson that he's a clueless twat when it comes to banking security.

Nice work. :D

Clarkson is very watchable on the TV, but a complete arsehole in real life.

Good one! And kudos to Clarkson for admitting the mistake and being a shining example that ID theft is a very real problem.

Love it. That guy is funny, but slightly too full of himself.

And I like that the hacker sent the money to charity :D

At least this guy didn't take it in the shorts to bad. ID theft is a big deal. I have had it happen twice to my bank account. Both times ironically was someone buying a whole lotta gas.

I love it when hackers, supposedly shady people who break the law, do something that is useful to the public and it's publicised. And they gave the money to charity :)

I love it when hackers, supposedly shady people who break the law, do something that is useful to the public and it's publicised. And they gave the money to charity :)

It's important to make the Playful Hacker (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlayfulHacker)/Cracker (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheCracker) distinction *nods*

kudos to the hacker who didn't do it for personal gain, only to send the msg to Clarkson that he's a clueless twat when it comes to banking security.
...and kudos to Clarkson for holding up his hands and admitting just how wrong he was. He may be (ahh, who am I kidding, he is) a "pompous ass", and I do seem to find myself disagreeing with almost all of his opinions, but nobody can deny that he does at least speak his mind, and this kind of thing shows that he's capable of admitting it when he's wrong.

It's important to make the Playful Hacker (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/PlayfulHacker)/Cracker (http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheCracker) distinction *nods*

Indeed, this is true. A lot do it for the fun, even if sometimes it does inconvenience/annoy others.

I don't think it really involved any hacking or cracking. It's not a matter of disabling or circumventing security, it's a matter of (mis)using data you're provided with in the right way.

Well, he proved that he was an ass then and still is an ass now...

I hope he doesn't ask for the money back.

Interesting, most people here think it's acceptable for someone to illegally take money from another persons bank account, mostly because it goes to charity.
Would you change your mind if it wasn't Jeremy Clarkson, but say, an aunt who was a bit careless?
Regardless of where the money was taken too I think it was morally wrong for the person to take his money. So yes he's a really annoying guy, but there are far worse.

So charity is a good thing, giving money to charity is a good thing, but does that equate to stealing money for charity as a good thing?

Suppose this person does this again, on say, you this time (for some inexplicable reason you commit the same silly mistakes Clarkson did, just for the purpose of this post) is it still a moral thing to do? You got what was coming to you?

I mean fair enough, he's annoying and yes Jeremy Clarkson was a bit daft, but should that mean it's okay to take his money?

Steal money from the rich, and it's okay?
Thus steal money from the poor and it's okay?

I can see where you come from, i decided to bring in a different perspective of how people's morals(or what i perceive to be morals) change for different situations.
Laugh when it's not you but when it(or if it) happens to you,do you complain?

Interesting, most people here think it's acceptable for someone to illegally take money from another persons bank account, mostly because it goes to charity.
Would you change your mind if it wasn't Jeremy Clarkson, but say, an aunt who was a bit careless?
I'm sorry, but the tool wasn't being careless - he purposefully put all his information out there in an effort to prove he was the smartest man alive. He failed miserably.

While I find the action suspect from a moral standpoint, at least the hacker did teach the lesson in a way that did not benefit him or her personally, but helped out other people.

I'm sorry, but the tool wasn't being careless - he purposefully put all his information out there in an effort to prove he was the smartest man alive. He failed miserably.

I know it's an understandable to laugh at someone like him.
I suppose the Morality i was speaking of could be equated with Kantian ethics which have a number of issues in themselves, but it's too late in the day for me to go into detail with that.

I'm sorry, but the tool wasn't being careless - he purposefully put all his information out there in an effort to prove he was the smartest man alive. He failed miserably.

Nah. He's just competitive, he was having a bit of fun, he wanted to prove himself right, not necessarily smart. He failed, he accepted his failure.

I think Clarkson should be thankful that someone isn't drinking cocktails on a beach or funding criminal activities with his money. In fact, this is probably the best way this could have turned out. He gets shown up, people stop listening to him about banking security, and the stolen money is, at least, put to a good use.

I think Clarkson should be thankful that someone isn't drinking cocktails on a beach or funding criminal activities with his money.

That he knows of....

All I have do is wait for a while, let things settle down and BAM.... holiday in Barbados.

The criminal, I meant "All the criminal has to do".