Renowned bank Wells Fargo has fired more than a dozen of its employees for faking keyboard activity. Allegedly, the employees made it seem like they were working even though they were not. The dismissed employees were from the bank's wealth and investment management unit. According to a report, Wells Fargo let go of the employees after an investigation was conducted into allegations that some staff members were pretending to work and were using a simulation of keyboard activity to appear busy. Due to similar issues, many companies have started using advanced tools to monitor their employees and their activities. These monitoring tools had become popular during the pandemic when remote work increased and companies wanted to ensure productivity. Wells Fargo Bank Fires Dozens of Employees for Using Alleged ‘Simulation’ To Fake Their Keyboard Activity From Wealth and Investment Management Unit: Reports.
What Is Simulation of Keyboard Activity?
Devices and software called ‘mouse movers’ or ‘mouse jigglers,’ simulate mouse movements. These fake tools simulate keyboard activity and make it appear as though someone is working. When a computer is inactive for a certain amount of time, it goes into sleep mode. The mouse jiggler, or mouse mover, imitates the movement of a mouse and prevents the computer from going into sleep mode due to inactivity. Some of the devices require a USB port to simulate mouse movement electronically. Other devices use a spinning dial under a real mouse to create movement. These tools are cheap and can be found easily. Even though these devices don’t actually perform any task, they can fool screen monitoring software. These devices became popular during the pandemic, when remote working became common. ‘Come Back to Office or Get Fired’: After Many Reminders, Cognizant Warns Employees To Return to Office or Face Termination.
According to a report by a leading daily, many companies have now started using advanced tools to track and monitor their employees and their activities through various softwares and tools. It's important to note that there is no specific information on how Wells Fargo’s fired employees simulated keyboard activity. Wells Fargo has not confirmed whether these employees were using the simulation devices at home or in the office.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 14, 2024 02:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).