Fired Worker Gets Pissed Off...and Crafty

Thursday, March 18, 2010 3:14 AM EDT

Ex-worker disables 100 cars via Net

DALLAS — Police say a man fired from a Texas auto dealership used an Internet service to remotely disable ignitions and set off car horns of more than 100 vehicles sold at his former workplace. Austin police arrested Omar Ramos-Lopez, 20, Wednesday, charging him with felony breach of computer security.

Police say Ramos-Lopez used the password of a former colleague to deactivate starters and set off car horns. Several car owners say they had to call tow trucks and were left stranded at work. The dealership installs GPS devices that can prevent cars from starting. The system is used to repossess cars when buyers are overdue on payments.

— Associated Press

Woody wrote: The dealership installs GPS devices that can prevent cars from starting. The system is used to repossess cars when buyers are overdue on payments.

Wow .

Wow isn't quite the word I'd use for that.

In reply to Luke:

That's actually a common practice with buy-here-pay-here car lots. They don't do credit checks and have a disturbing repo rate. I talked to one dealer who said he repoed 70% of cars sold. Which is why I couldn't get him to pay for than just a scuff & squirt paint job.

Luke wrote:

Woody wrote: The dealership installs GPS devices that can prevent cars from starting. The system is used to repossess cars when buyers are overdue on payments.

Wow .

buy here

pay here

Everyone drives

Bad Credit

No Credit

Not a problem.

I see.

What kind of deposit do people lay down for a deal like that? Out of interest.

I assume that once you managed to pay off the car they remove the remote immobilizer?

Two guys at work got fired for sexual harassment, the Army has a Zero Tolerance policy. Evidently they said some off color things to a female coworker and that was OK. I guess something was said the she thought was over the line. They were marched into the Commander's office and fired.

Well they're still here, fighting the termination through the [useless] Union. In the mean time what damage sabotage pilfering could they possible do in a large cannon factory?

Dan

914Driver wrote: Two guys at work got fired for sexual harassment, the Army has a Zero Tolerance policy. Evidently they said some off color things to a female coworker in a large cannon factory?

You said large cannon,

the stealership that I worked at for a week did that. They would tell the customer that they "were due for a free oil change", and when they came in, they would install the tracking beacon somewhere under the dash.

Luke wrote: I see. What kind of deposit do people lay down for a deal like that? Out of interest.

My b-i-law had one of these loans. Zero down.

He had to stop in and make weekly payments.

And the interest rate was the highest the State of Illinois would allow. 20%+ ??

His $2500 car cost a lot of money. BTW his Ford Contour base model needing an engine is available for sale........

Luke wrote: I see. What kind of deposit do people lay down for a deal like that? Out of interest.

My brother worked at one and the down payment was generally what the dealer had in the car

The payment were called the profit, and the average car had been repo'd 3 times.

Timeormoney wrote: My brother worked at one and the down payment was generally what the dealer had in the car The payment were called the profit, and the average car had been repo'd 3 times.

That's what I've heard too. Buy the car at auction, set the down payment to what you paid for it, and pocket the monthly payments.

I forget who wrote the book but it's called 'Successful Buy Here Pay Here Strategies'. I read that sucker, you had to have a heart of STONE to do what he said. The highlights:

The Holy Grail was to have the car paid for (or nearly so) with the downstroke. Everything after that was gravy.

Instead of quoting an interest rate, you set a price on the car and divided that into equal payments. No interest quoted = no gov't oversight..

If the car needed mechanical work, you ran that through the business and tacked the charges onto the existing note.

In addition to jail time, this guy should have to pay for one of the GPS systems to be installed on his car and every single person whose car he disabled should have the ability to disable his car at any time for the next 10 years.

Bob

Luke wrote: I see. What kind of deposit do people lay down for a deal like that? Out of interest.

i have been told by a couple guys that worked at those type of lots that the down payment is usually what the dealer pays for the car at auction. then the payments are all profit. then they repo it, put it back on the lot, and then the down payment is still the same and it is all profit. the buy here pay here lot up the street from my parents - famous for their cars blowing up on test drives - regularly has the same cars showing up after a few weeks or months and being resold over and over again.

TJ wrote:

914Driver wrote: Two guys at work got fired for sexual harassment, the Army has a Zero Tolerance policy. Evidently they said some off color things to a female coworker in a large cannon factory?

You said large cannon,

Hey someone's gotta do it.

http://www.benet.wva.army.mil/

http://www.wva.army.mil/

914Driver wrote: .... In the mean time what damage sabotage pilfering could they possible do in a large cannon factory? Dan

Somebody help me out. There has to be good loose cannon joke in there somewhere.

Nope, mine are tight!

EDIT: It's my computer skills that are looser than a Night Train / Taco Pronto night. http://good-times.webshots.com/photo/2952065630102064736ABkJNo

Did you ever read of the guys who brought a Sharps rifle, 50-something, I think, to Aberdeen? Strapped it down to the test machine with the radar that can trace the bullet and saw what it could do. Amazing.

Dr. Hess wrote: Did you ever read of the guys who brought a Sharps rifle, 50-something, I think, to Aberdeen? Strapped it down to the test machine with the radar that can trace the bullet and saw what it could do. Amazing.

No, but I'd be very interested based on my bull-barrelled Rolling Block 45-90... Got a link?

I saw that, was that the one where they were saying the bullet couldnt possibly go 1000 yds? (and susequently proven wrong)

In reply to stroker:My favorite black-powder round, I don't know why people settle with the 45-70.

Don't have a link. I don't remember where I read it. I'm gonna guess in American Rifleman in the past 5 years or so. These college boys, they dun read them stories 'bout Sharps rifles "back in the day." Like that guy that capped a Native American off his horse at like 1500 or 2000 yards or something insane (he admitted it was a lucky shot) after their position was attacked. They figgered that there weren't no way some buffalo rifle 130+ years old could do that. So they got one, a real, original one I think or at a minimum an authentic reproduction, got some black powder rounds for it, strapped it to the monster machine at Aberdeen, shot it and went... "Wow. Try it again. Wow."

Google Billy Dixon and or Battle of Adobe Walls. Actual distance was between 1000-1200 yards according to modern research. Still, to hit a man sized target at the distance with a round that has the trajectory of a rainbow, whether on purpose or through sheer luck is a heckuva shot. Stroker and 4eyes, you guys must have shoulders of iron.