Vehicle monitoring firm Tracker has urged a reporter for The Star newspaper to reveal the identity of a former employee who reportedly leaked confidential information to a crime syndicate.
”While Tracker understands that the journalist in question has an obligation to protect the identity of his contacts and informants, the company strongly urges that he reports this person to the police so that the law can take its course,” spokesperon Gareth Crocker said in a statement on Monday.
”This is undoubtedly in the best interests of the South Africa public, who suffer daily at the hands of dangerous and violent vehicle criminals.”
In the absence of the informant’s identity, the company could not even confirm whether he ever worked for Tracker, said Crocker.
”In fact, the confidential installation codes he has divulged to the journalist — which detail where a Tracker unit is hidden in a vehicle –[do] not match the codes used by the company,” he said.
”If these allegations are proved to contain any truth whatsoever, it is vital that this person faces the full force of the law.”
The newspaper refused to comment.
According to its report headed ”Car theft scam probe”, a former employee of Tracker claimed syndicates bribed him to hand over secret information identifying cars fitted with tracking devices and where these were located in the vehicles.
A syndicate member gave him between R500 and R1 000 for a client’s information, he told the newspaper.
”He said he knew I worked for Tracker and he wanted me to give him information from time to time.
”He would usually call me on my cellphone and give me the registration of a certain car. I would then punch in the registration [number] and if that car’s owner is a Tracker client, it [the computer file] would give me the information.”
In consultations with the reporter, it had emerged that the man claimed this happened on five occasions during the five years of his employment between 1999 and 2004, Crocker said.
Were this was indeed the case, the company was convinced it was an isolated incident, he said.
Nonetheless, given the seriousness of the allegations, the company was conducting voice stress analysis tests on all staff.
”The police were also brought in to assist with an investigation.”
Voice stress analysis and polygraph testing were among a number of safeguards the company used to prevent complicity in crime and were usually randomly conducted.
The company also did not hire people with criminal records; conducted security and police checks on prospective staff; continuously monitored all employees’ telephone calls and e-mails; limited information access; and profiled hijackings and thefts against each installation technician.
People would always try to profit from information obtained from companies in the security and other industries with exposure to criminal activities, said Crocker.
”The reality is that as Tracker continues to make significant inroads in the fight against vehicle crime, the company will increasingly be targeted by vehicle crime syndicates trying either to source valuable information or sabotage its business.”
It would be naive of the company to believe it was not being targeted by crime syndicates as it was severely affecting their operations, he said. – Sapa