EETimes: Engineers arrested for selling Intel test CPUs on eBay

[Idontcare]

Engineers arrested for selling Intel test CPUs on eBay

Four engineers have been arrested by Taiwan’s Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) for allegedly selling off Intel Corp. CPU samples on eBay for personal financial gain.

The CIB released a statement on Monday (Jan. 1) saying the four, confirmed to be engineers working for Intel's OEM manufacturers in Taiwan, had been apprehended in the city of Taoyuan.

Detectives had been tracking the suspects since September, conducting a raid on their homes last month, taking 178 sample CPUs – worth an estimated $82,500—into police custody.

http://www.eetimes.com/electronics-...-arrested-for-selling-Intel-test-CPUs-on-eBay-

Definitely don't be out there hawking your ES's folks, its always been illegal but this shows Intel does take it seriously.

 

[Gillbot]

:sneaky::sneaky:

Engineering samples are the sole property of Intel and are produced and provided to Intel customers for product research and development purposes only. Intel’s customers are required to either return them to Intel or ensure that the engineering samples are destroyed.

 

[RavenSEAL]

Jeez, 82K?!

 

[TuxDave]

Good!

 

[Magic Carpet]

Thanks, nice read

 

[njdevilsfan87]

So that's where all those ES chips have been coming from...

 

[Qianglong]

These guys should be thrown into the slammers!

 

[sangyup81]

i've seen some of these on ebay!

 

[Magic Carpet]

i've seen some of these on ebay!

I've seen ES on eBay for as long as I can remember myself. Intel prolly got a new head of security or smth.

 

[Kalessian]

I guess in Thailand breach of contract is a criminal offense?

 

[TakeNoPrisoners]

I guess in Thailand breach of contract is a criminal offense?

It is stealing when you sell the property of others.

I don't see this as having anything to do with a breach of contract.

 

[Kalessian]

You are right, I misinterpreted the article. They talk a lot about ES, but really stealing anything from work and selling it will get you in trouble.

 

[Magic Carpet]

You are right, I misinterpreted the article. They talk a lot about ES, but really stealing anything from work and selling it will get you in trouble.

I reckon, the steal was worth it. How much are they making anyway? Peanuts.

 

[Kalessian]

If I went into my backyard and found an ES, you bet I would sell it. I doubt there is a US law against selling them. This comment will probably anger some boy scouts, but the majority of slickdeals would do the same I bet.

 

[Magic Carpet]

Some 5 or 6 years ago, I bought an ES of mobile core 2 duo. It was a solid performer. It came from the Far East, don't remember the country, lol.

 

[MrTeal]

California Penal Code Section 485:
One who finds lost property under circumstances which give him knowledge of or means of inquiry as to the true owner, and who appropriates such property to his own use, or to the use of another person not entitled thereto, without first making reasonable and just efforts to find the owner and to restore the property to him, is guilty of theft.

YMMV of course, but generally if you find it and know or might know where it came from, it's not yours. If you don't know where it came from, many places require you to turn it in to the authorities, who will hold it until such time that it's determined to be abandoned and you get to claim it.

 

[nenforcer]

I see these on eBay from US based sellers all of the time. Does this mean I should report the listing to eBay?

 

[Idontcare]

If I went into my backyard and found an ES, you bet I would sell it. I doubt there is a US law against selling them. This comment will probably anger some boy scouts, but the majority of slickdeals would do the same I bet.

Would you sell your neighbor's car and keep the money for yourself if he parked it in front of your house?

What if someone stole your neighbor's car and proceeded to park it in your driveway, you then come out of your house and "find" a car in your driveway...does it then make it legally and morally right for you to resell it when you "find" it?

For the record, I was never in the boy scouts. But I know fencing hot goods is dirty no matter how hard people try to justify it to themselves.

I see these on eBay from US based sellers all of the time. Does this mean I should report the listing to eBay?

Technically yes, you should report it for the fraud that it is.

 

[Yukmouth]

The samples must add up quickly with all the new skews Intel pukes into the market on every refresh. The only thing these guys did wrong was get caught.

 

[Idontcare]

:hmm:

 

[-Slacker-]

Doesn't being an Intel corp Engineer pay pretty good? I would imagine their salaries are bigger than the amount they got for the fence ... pretty dumb.

 

[Idontcare]

Doesn't being an Intel corp Engineer pay pretty good? I would imagine their salaries are bigger than the amount they got for the fence ... pretty dumb.

People do dumb stuff, it blows my mind. Like the US Senator (salary is like $200k) who ended up going to jail for 10yrs because he accepted a $50k bribe.

Regardless the ethics involved, how was the risk of losing $2m in compensation plus your freedom ever worth the reward of nabbing an extra $50k one-time payout?

Does not compute.

 

[Meghan54]

Doesn't being an Intel corp Engineer pay pretty good? I would imagine their salaries are bigger than the amount they got for the fence ... pretty dumb.

From the article, I was more inclined to think the engineers in question were working for some Intel affiliated OEM manufacturers, like motherboard manufacturers, or OEM computer makers like Asus, Sony, etc. Their access to ES cpus was probably due to them having them for testing in product/validity testing/etc.

....engineers working for Intel's OEM manufacturers in Taiwan....

 

[Meghan54]

But I know fencing hot goods is dirty no matter how hard people try to justify it to themselves.

But try to justify it they will. And sad to see the kids here attempting to do the same. Makes you wonder if you need to lock your car when it's sitting in your garage.

 

[jpeyton]

Definitely don't be out there hawking your ES's folks, its always been illegal but this shows Intel does take it seriously.

Yes, Intel takes it seriously when you steal $82k worth of CPUs.