Software Bugs Giveth, Police Taketh Away
Remember that scene in Office Space where Michael Bolton (no, not him) realized that he’d botched The Plan? 
If you recall, he and his accomplices developed a computer virus that was supposed to deposit pennies from each company transaction into their own private accounts. This money would of course grow at an exponential yet unnoticeable rate, thus securing them with a cozy retirement fund. No more work. End of story. Roll the credits.
Nope. Instead, a software bug transferred hundreds of thousands of dollars to their account…instantly. Suddenly, a comfortable retirement (i.e. “I would do nothing”) was replaced by the prospect of federal prison. You know how the rest of the story goes, but here’s the lesson: If you plan on stealing a lot of money through software, test it out first. If your scheme works, then try to keep a low profile.
These guys did not get that lesson. Either that, or they’re the luckiest gamblers in North Strabane, Pennsylvania.
Posing as high-rollers at Meadows Racetrack & Casino in North Strabane, (the three men arrested) manipulated a software glitch in a single poker machine, allowing small payments to multiply into large payments, state gaming officials said. In 14 visits over two months, the three men cashed out $420,000, police said.
When I think of high-rollers, I think of James Bond, Jay-Z and other fictional characters who light cigars with $100 bills. I don’t picture three dingbats messing with a poker machine for two straight months in North Strabane, Pennsylvania. If these guys really posed as high-rollers for two months – and no one thought something was up – then I guess being a high-roller just ain’t what it used to be.
Anyway, this has to be a tough pill to swallow for the company’s QA boss. To be fair, there’s a chance the accused men were just software aces, but I wouldn’t bet on it. They could also be innocent, as suggested earlier, and had found a way to beat the house. No dice. Odds are the company’s QA team simply let the worst possible bug slip through the cracks.
Craps!
