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I Worked for a Criminal Organization

openmonstervision.github.io

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Re: I Worked for a Criminal Organization

#61

Post by pengaru »

samplatt wrote: post #41
gruez wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>where they want you to produce one receipt for the customer and a different one for the restaurant or salon or shady car mechanic that then pockets the unreported tax aka a 'zapper'. Isn't this super easy to discover if you use any sort of electronic payment? Salons and restaurants might be cash based, but who pays their mechanic in cash?

A lot of non-regular-maintenance jobs are easy & quick to do but break the law - for example, deleting the catalytic converter or EGR from the exhaust system will give your engine better performance and economy, but is illegal since it increases emissions. Lots of places will do it anyway on a cash job if they think they can get away with it, because it's relatively easy money. A shop replaced my failed catalytic con…

In my experience when doing illegal modifications the transaction is not only in cash but also 100% off the books; there's no need for POS receipt shenanigans.

Re: I Worked for a Criminal Organization

#62

Post by raverbashing »

vl wrote: post #59
gruez wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>where they want you to produce one receipt for the customer and a different one for the restaurant or salon or shady car mechanic that then pockets the unreported tax aka a 'zapper'. Isn't this super easy to discover if you use any sort of electronic payment? Salons and restaurants might be cash based, but who pays their mechanic in cash?

But how exactly are you going to discover it? If transaction is deleted from the local log, you need to subpoena all payment processors and cross-reference, which takes non-trivial amount of effort. I new a guy who was developing hacked firmware for POSes in the 90ies. One of the cool features he had is that at the end of the day the owner could unlock secret mode, enter amount of sales he wanted, and POS would creat…

No, you check the bank accounts associated with the business.

You check other proxies relating to services rendered vs. money earned for an initial estimate.

Re: I Worked for a Criminal Organization

#63

Post by PappaPatat »

hackermailman wrote: post #13

Not uncommon in some cities in Canada to find out you're working for a criminal outfit if writing point of sale/restaurant software where they want you to produce one receipt for the customer and a different one for the restaurant or salon or shady car mechanic that then pockets the unreported tax aka a 'zapper'. Profitek was busted once, InfoSpec Systems, zappers are in high demand

My first sale of my selfwritten software (about 35 years ago) was for a car driving instructor. The initial sales conversations where difficult. I thought they did not see the advantages of having their planning & bookkeeping in a computer...

How wrong I was. It was their "creative bookkeeping" that worried them. When I offered to make that all possible ('zapping' as it is called now), they loved it. Based on their referrals I sold it many times over.

Come next customer / market: bookshops. Guess what the most important selling argument was, besides easy cataloging, inventory, searching, website publishing and reporting? Right: zapping.

Thought me an important rule: do not underestimate what your customer is NOT telling you.

Re: I Worked for a Criminal Organization

#64

Post by bArray »

samplatt wrote: post #51
bArray wrote: post #50

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> A shop replaced my failed catalytic converter ($1200+ > replacement) with a straight pipe ($20 pipe and $200 of > time) many years ago because they (correctly) assessed me > to be a broke-ass student who wouldn't tell on them. The mechanic may have even made even more money by scrapping your catalytic converter. In the UK, swapping the exhaust out for a straight pipe is a common (illegal) modification for greater p…

>The mechanic may have even made even more money by scrapping your catalytic converter. Oh, certainly. Not to mention that removing it would have been a larger & more difficult job, which I'd have to pay for... OR they can get less money but it's (very) easy money. >completely removing the air-filter (dangerous) Good god... Who the hell does that? What ricer would willingly risk killing their motor from eating some l…

I should probably add, at one time I had a throw-away car, it cost Before scrapping it I decided to drive it around as a "risk free" car. The exhaust fell off (so not even a straight pipe), the battery was dead (had to push start it everywhere), the clutch was teetering on death, brakes were merely a suggestion to your speed (it had drums), the radiator leaked, the oil was probably as old as the car, tires were barely legal and it had no working headlight bulbs.

We ripped out all of seats, removed the air filter, filled the tank with contaminated petrol (had diesel in it - added a small amount of nitro-car fuel to balance it out) and drove it very hard.

I ended up using it for quick 20 minute journeys (that's about how long it took for all the coolant to leak out). We would leave it unlocked with the keys in the ignition - I think it was more hassle to whoever tried to steal it. The car survived long enough to drive itself onto the back of a flat-bed lorry to be taken to the scrap dealers once the MOT and tax ran out.

This is not uncommon either, many people get "traders plates" just so that they can drive barely legal cars around before getting rid of them.

Re: I Worked for a Criminal Organization

#66

Post by Brave-Steak »

PappaPatat wrote: post #63
hackermailman wrote: post #13

Not uncommon in some cities in Canada to find out you're working for a criminal outfit if writing point of sale/restaurant software where they want you to produce one receipt for the customer and a different one for the restaurant or salon or shady car mechanic that then pockets the unreported tax aka a 'zapper'. Profitek was busted once, InfoSpec Systems, zappers are in high demand

My first sale of my selfwritten software (about 35 years ago) was for a car driving instructor. The initial sales conversations where difficult. I thought they did not see the advantages of having their planning & bookkeeping in a computer... How wrong I was. It was their "creative bookkeeping" that worried them. When I offered to make that all possible ('zapping' as it is called now), they loved it. Based on their r…

You weren't worried about getting into trouble?

Re: I Worked for a Criminal Organization

#67

Post by skrebbel »

PappaPatat wrote: post #63
hackermailman wrote: post #13

Not uncommon in some cities in Canada to find out you're working for a criminal outfit if writing point of sale/restaurant software where they want you to produce one receipt for the customer and a different one for the restaurant or salon or shady car mechanic that then pockets the unreported tax aka a 'zapper'. Profitek was busted once, InfoSpec Systems, zappers are in high demand

My first sale of my selfwritten software (about 35 years ago) was for a car driving instructor. The initial sales conversations where difficult. I thought they did not see the advantages of having their planning & bookkeeping in a computer... How wrong I was. It was their "creative bookkeeping" that worried them. When I offered to make that all possible ('zapping' as it is called now), they loved it. Based on their r…

Did it bother you that you were facilitating crimes?

Re: I Worked for a Criminal Organization

#68

Post by tyfon »

hackermailman wrote: post #13

Not uncommon in some cities in Canada to find out you're working for a criminal outfit if writing point of sale/restaurant software where they want you to produce one receipt for the customer and a different one for the restaurant or salon or shady car mechanic that then pockets the unreported tax aka a 'zapper'. Profitek was busted once, InfoSpec Systems, zappers are in high demand

I assume it is common to report the company to the authorities when a request like that comes in?

Where I live at least not reporting activity like that could result in a few years in jail.

Re: I Worked for a Criminal Organization

#69

Post by goatinaboat »

Causality1 wrote: post #42

The only substantial difference between this company and, say, Facebook, is that Facebook generally knows how to budget properly. Facebook and other large successful companies try to only commit crimes when they know the profit from doing so exceeds the risk of being caught and punished.

Facebook and other large successful companies try to only commit crimes when they know the profit from doing so exceeds the risk of being caught and punished.

Indeed; when I clicked the story I expected it to be about working for a FAANG.

Re: I Worked for a Criminal Organization

#70

Post by badpun »

tyfon wrote: post #68
hackermailman wrote: post #13

Not uncommon in some cities in Canada to find out you're working for a criminal outfit if writing point of sale/restaurant software where they want you to produce one receipt for the customer and a different one for the restaurant or salon or shady car mechanic that then pockets the unreported tax aka a 'zapper'. Profitek was busted once, InfoSpec Systems, zappers are in high demand

I assume it is common to report the company to the authorities when a request like that comes in? Where I live at least not reporting activity like that could result in a few years in jail.

In Poland you're only required to report a crime if you're a civil servant and the crime is related to your job.
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