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| 'I was falsely branded a paedophile' | 'I was falsely branded a paedophile' |
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| Simon Bunce's credit card details were stolen while online shopping | Simon Bunce's credit card details were stolen while online shopping |
| By Marc Sigsworth | By Marc Sigsworth |
| With ID fraud on the rise, the assumption is you'll lose money which can be claimed back. But Simon Bunce lost his job, and his father cut off contact, when he was arrested after an ID fraudster used his credit card details on a child porn website. | With ID fraud on the rise, the assumption is you'll lose money which can be claimed back. But Simon Bunce lost his job, and his father cut off contact, when he was arrested after an ID fraudster used his credit card details on a child porn website. |
| Simon Bunce used to be a keen internet shopper, delighted to escape the hordes and have goods delivered to his door. Wary of fly-by-night operators, he bought only from big name retailers with secure websites. | Simon Bunce used to be a keen internet shopper, delighted to escape the hordes and have goods delivered to his door. Wary of fly-by-night operators, he bought only from big name retailers with secure websites. |
| But then, four years ago, he was astonished to find himself embroiled in Operation Ore, the UK's largest ever police hunt against internet paedophiles. He was arrested on suspicion of possession of indecent images of children, downloading indecent images of children and incitement to distribute indecent images of children. | But then, four years ago, he was astonished to find himself embroiled in Operation Ore, the UK's largest ever police hunt against internet paedophiles. He was arrested on suspicion of possession of indecent images of children, downloading indecent images of children and incitement to distribute indecent images of children. |
| Hampshire Police took away his computer and data storage devices including flash drives, CDs and floppy disks, as well as examining the computer and storage devices that he used at work. | Hampshire Police took away his computer and data storage devices including flash drives, CDs and floppy disks, as well as examining the computer and storage devices that he used at work. |
| The effect was devastating. When his employers became aware of the reason he had been arrested, he was abruptly dismissed from his £120,000 a year job, and close members of his family disowned him. | The effect was devastating. When his employers became aware of the reason he had been arrested, he was abruptly dismissed from his £120,000 a year job, and close members of his family disowned him. |
| FIND OUT MORE... Identity Fraud: Outnumbered is on BBC One on Thursday, 3 April, at 2100 BSTCatch up at BBC iPlayer | FIND OUT MORE... Identity Fraud: Outnumbered is on BBC One on Thursday, 3 April, at 2100 BSTCatch up at BBC iPlayer |
| "I made the mistake of telling my father, and he cut me off," Mr Bunce says. "He then told all my siblings and they also cut us off." | "I made the mistake of telling my father, and he cut me off," Mr Bunce says. "He then told all my siblings and they also cut us off." |
| Suddenly deprived of his income, Mr Bunce had to consider selling the family home. But his wife, Kim, stuck by him, and supported his mission to clear his name. | Suddenly deprived of his income, Mr Bunce had to consider selling the family home. But his wife, Kim, stuck by him, and supported his mission to clear his name. |
| Mr Bunce knew he was innocent - he had never downloaded indecent images, and so he knew that the police would not find any evidence on the computers or storage devices they had taken away. | Mr Bunce knew he was innocent - he had never downloaded indecent images, and so he knew that the police would not find any evidence on the computers or storage devices they had taken away. |
| But the police's computer technicians take several months to examine these, and Mr Bunce could not afford to wait to repair the damage done to his reputation. "I knew there'd been a fundamental mistake made and so I had to investigate it." | But the police's computer technicians take several months to examine these, and Mr Bunce could not afford to wait to repair the damage done to his reputation. "I knew there'd been a fundamental mistake made and so I had to investigate it." |
| Identity fraud occurs when personal information is used by someone else to obtain credit, goods or other services fraudulently. Recent surveys suggest that as many as one in four Britons have been affected by it. In 2007 more than 185,000 cases of identity theft were identified by Cifas, the UK's fraud prevention service, an increase of almost 8% on 2006. | Identity fraud occurs when personal information is used by someone else to obtain credit, goods or other services fraudulently. Recent surveys suggest that as many as one in four Britons have been affected by it. In 2007 more than 185,000 cases of identity theft were identified by Cifas, the UK's fraud prevention service, an increase of almost 8% on 2006. |
| Tarnished name | Tarnished name |
| Operation Ore targeted suspected paedophiles believed to have been downloading indecent images of children, those whose credit card details had been used to buy pornography via an American portal called Landslide - the gateway site and central credit card handler for hundreds of websites. | Operation Ore targeted suspected paedophiles believed to have been downloading indecent images of children, those whose credit card details had been used to buy pornography via an American portal called Landslide - the gateway site and central credit card handler for hundreds of websites. |
| OPERATION ORE 7,272 UK residents targetedIncluding Robert del Naja of Massive Attack and The Who's Pete Townshend, both falsely accusedIn many cases, suspects had had their card details stolen | OPERATION ORE 7,272 UK residents targetedIncluding Robert del Naja of Massive Attack and The Who's Pete Townshend, both falsely accusedIn many cases, suspects had had their card details stolen |
| Hundreds of successful prosecutions ensued, with extensive media coverage given to high profile suspects, including actor Chris Langham of The Thick of It. | Hundreds of successful prosecutions ensued, with extensive media coverage given to high profile suspects, including actor Chris Langham of The Thick of It. |
| As Landslide was based in the United States and under investigation there, Mr Bunce was able to use the US Freedom of Information Act to obtain a complete copy of all of the relevant material, including databases, access logs and credit card information, together with detailed information of the webmasters, which allowed him to find out how his credit card details had been used. | As Landslide was based in the United States and under investigation there, Mr Bunce was able to use the US Freedom of Information Act to obtain a complete copy of all of the relevant material, including databases, access logs and credit card information, together with detailed information of the webmasters, which allowed him to find out how his credit card details had been used. |
| Each computer has a unique internet protocol number, or IP address, which identifies the specific computer and its geographic whereabouts whenever it is used to access the internet. | Each computer has a unique internet protocol number, or IP address, which identifies the specific computer and its geographic whereabouts whenever it is used to access the internet. |
| Mr Bunce discovered that the computer used to enter his credit card details was in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the date and time that his credit card details were entered onto the Landslide website was at a time when he could prove that he was using the same card in a restaurant in south London. | Mr Bunce discovered that the computer used to enter his credit card details was in Jakarta, Indonesia, and the date and time that his credit card details were entered onto the Landslide website was at a time when he could prove that he was using the same card in a restaurant in south London. |
| "I can't be in two places at once, so somehow my data had got to the man in Indonesia." | "I can't be in two places at once, so somehow my data had got to the man in Indonesia." |
| He was also able to discover that his credit card details had been obtained from a popular online shopping site, but he doesn't know how these came to be in the hands of a criminal. | He was also able to discover that his credit card details had been obtained from a popular online shopping site, but he doesn't know how these came to be in the hands of a criminal. |
| The man responsible for using his credit card details hid behind the online name "Miranda" - a webmaster who hosted and produced pornographic websites and received a commission from Landslide for subscriptions to his website which were paid by credit card. "Miranda" had used Mr Bunce's credit card details - without his knowledge - to take out a subscription to one of his websites. | The man responsible for using his credit card details hid behind the online name "Miranda" - a webmaster who hosted and produced pornographic websites and received a commission from Landslide for subscriptions to his website which were paid by credit card. "Miranda" had used Mr Bunce's credit card details - without his knowledge - to take out a subscription to one of his websites. |
| Cash convert | Cash convert |
| In September 2004, the police told Mr Bunce they would not proceed with any action against him. They had not found indecent material, and accepted that it wasn't him who had entered his credit card details on the Landslide website. | In September 2004, the police told Mr Bunce they would not proceed with any action against him. They had not found indecent material, and accepted that it wasn't him who had entered his credit card details on the Landslide website. |
| Simon Bunce no longer shops online | Simon Bunce no longer shops online |
| It took another six months before he got another job, earning a quarter of the salary he'd earned before his arrest. | It took another six months before he got another job, earning a quarter of the salary he'd earned before his arrest. |
| Mr Bunce has also reconciled with his family, having explained to them how he came to be implicated and then cleared. Are bygones bygones? "I've forgiven them [my family] - there's no point in bearing a grudge." | Mr Bunce has also reconciled with his family, having explained to them how he came to be implicated and then cleared. Are bygones bygones? "I've forgiven them [my family] - there's no point in bearing a grudge." |
| Four years on, he is bringing a High Court action against the shopping website for allowing his personal details to be compromised. So no more internet shopping? "No, no, no. Once bitten, twice shy," says Mr Bunce, who now sells encryption services. | Four years on, he is bringing a High Court action against the shopping website for allowing his personal details to be compromised. So no more internet shopping? "No, no, no. Once bitten, twice shy," says Mr Bunce, who now sells encryption services. |
| "I wouldn't say that I live in the cash economy now, but I'd rather go to the bank to withdraw money to buy petrol, as you hear of card details being harvested at garages. I'm paranoid about data security. I shred everything, I never use credit cards anymore. | "I wouldn't say that I live in the cash economy now, but I'd rather go to the bank to withdraw money to buy petrol, as you hear of card details being harvested at garages. I'm paranoid about data security. I shred everything, I never use credit cards anymore. |
| "Being arrested and accused of what is probably one of the worst crimes known to man, losing my job, having my reputation run through the mud, it's a living nightmare." | "Being arrested and accused of what is probably one of the worst crimes known to man, losing my job, having my reputation run through the mud, it's a living nightmare." |
| Add your comments on this story, using the form below. | Add your comments on this story, using the form below. |
| Have also been told this week by my credit card provider that my card has been cloned. Yet only using it on "big name" sites. Just goes to show no matter what the company and the level of internet security, no one can say for sure that 100% of their staff are honest and one of them may not be out there selling your details to criminals.Paul Ewen, Bedford UK | |
| Aside from the ID fraud, which is bad enough, I think this story highlights some of the key problems with our justice system. Mr Bunce was all but found guilty immediately by family and employer. The police need to properly investigate people before making arrests - either that or it should be illegal to sack someone until they have been found guilty and not just arrested on suspicion. Society also has to think about the modern day witch hunt where the topic of paedophilia is concerned.Jacqueline, Barnet, UK | |
| This is a clear case of wrongful dismissal - your employer should never sack you for something which you have not been convicted. It seems fair to suspend someone pending prosecution, but firing them is illegal. In this case, Simon should have clear grounds for compensation.Martin, UK | |
| It is exactly for this reason that those accused of sex crimes should remain anonymous until proven guilty. The so called "innocent until proven guilty" guarantee is a travesty. This case also proves the huge gulf between American FOI and the abysmal UK version.Mark, Derby, UK | It is exactly for this reason that those accused of sex crimes should remain anonymous until proven guilty. The so called "innocent until proven guilty" guarantee is a travesty. This case also proves the huge gulf between American FOI and the abysmal UK version.Mark, Derby, UK |
| The real purpose of this story is to try and sell the idea of ID cards to the British public. "If you do not take an ID card, you could be branded a paedo", is what this article is saying. The BBC has constantly been used to sell the idea of ID cards as a means to protect identity, and articles like this are a classic example. The fact of the matter is that if everyone is put into the ID database, then cases of mistaken identity will skyrocket. This man had his information stolen because he used a credit card. If he did not have a credit card, no one would have been able to impersonate him. That is the real message behind this story; if you have a card that identifies you, someone can impersonate you from anywhere in the world. If you do not have a card then you are far safer.Alexander De Large, London | |
| I myself have twice been victim of credit card hacking where someone used my card abroad while I was in UK. Fortunately my card company called me and the transactions were nullified and my cards replaced, however I don't think that the criminals were ever caught or even any attempt was made to catch them. Sometimes I wonder if the industry is doing enough to protect identity. I wish success to Mr Bunce in his lawsuit against the concerned shopping site. More cases like this and we would return to old cash economy. Devendra Damle, Kenilworth, Warcs | I myself have twice been victim of credit card hacking where someone used my card abroad while I was in UK. Fortunately my card company called me and the transactions were nullified and my cards replaced, however I don't think that the criminals were ever caught or even any attempt was made to catch them. Sometimes I wonder if the industry is doing enough to protect identity. I wish success to Mr Bunce in his lawsuit against the concerned shopping site. More cases like this and we would return to old cash economy. Devendra Damle, Kenilworth, Warcs |
| This is a product of our on-going tabloid-fuelled paedophilia hysteria and everyone's knee-jerk reaction to the subject, and I hate how this happens time and time again, not just to famous celebrities that we hear about (Mathew Kelly comes to mind) but also to everyday honest folks. People should learn to get over their hysteria, stop being manipulated by the pack mentality and look at the facts. Anyone can be accused of anything, anyone can be investigated for anything, anyone can point a finger at anyone and it could happen to any of us at any time. But the point is to get to the truth, and people should learn to accept the outcome as the truth, not the gossip, and stop ruining innocent peoples' lives over nothing. I hope this article goes some way to clearing this poor man's reputation.WiL, Leeds, UK | |
| What an appalling story. If Mr Bunce was able to find out that someone in Indonesia had misused his details on a certain date, what a pity the police couldn't have armed themselves with this information prior to his arrest. Surely a simple "where were you on ...?" could have cleared all this up and saved Mr Bunce his job, family and a lot of stress. I sometimes wonder how technologically adept our Boys in Blue really are.Mark, Warwick | What an appalling story. If Mr Bunce was able to find out that someone in Indonesia had misused his details on a certain date, what a pity the police couldn't have armed themselves with this information prior to his arrest. Surely a simple "where were you on ...?" could have cleared all this up and saved Mr Bunce his job, family and a lot of stress. I sometimes wonder how technologically adept our Boys in Blue really are.Mark, Warwick |
| An extremely unfortunate story, but all credit to Bunce who has recovered well when many would have collapsed. The time is upon us where massive overhaul to the system is necessary, biometrics even DNA can and should be used, with the credit card companies footing at least some of the bill for research and initiation. They do not do enough to protect their customers (us) as it is simply cheaper to let it go on and compensate in some (but not all) cases. Chip and pin too has not been the success we all hoped, merely papering over the cracks.Neil Deeney | An extremely unfortunate story, but all credit to Bunce who has recovered well when many would have collapsed. The time is upon us where massive overhaul to the system is necessary, biometrics even DNA can and should be used, with the credit card companies footing at least some of the bill for research and initiation. They do not do enough to protect their customers (us) as it is simply cheaper to let it go on and compensate in some (but not all) cases. Chip and pin too has not been the success we all hoped, merely papering over the cracks.Neil Deeney |
| I hope he is, or has, successfully sued his previous employers - they should be named and shamed. Whatever happened to presumed innocent until proven guilty? Jon, Manchester | I hope he is, or has, successfully sued his previous employers - they should be named and shamed. Whatever happened to presumed innocent until proven guilty? Jon, Manchester |
| I feel great sympathy for Mr Bunce. It only goes to show how we can sometimes jump to conclusions before finding out what the truth really is. If I were an employer and my employee has been accused, I will wait for the jury's verdict before I take action and this will be the same if I were to be a family member of an accused.Andrian Harsono, Sunbury, UK | I feel great sympathy for Mr Bunce. It only goes to show how we can sometimes jump to conclusions before finding out what the truth really is. If I were an employer and my employee has been accused, I will wait for the jury's verdict before I take action and this will be the same if I were to be a family member of an accused.Andrian Harsono, Sunbury, UK |
| Isn't the answer to this to check your credit card statements every month, and to complain if there is an error? The article does not say if Mr Bunce checked his statement every month, but surely if he had this would not have happened? David, Glasgow, Scotland | Isn't the answer to this to check your credit card statements every month, and to complain if there is an error? The article does not say if Mr Bunce checked his statement every month, but surely if he had this would not have happened? David, Glasgow, Scotland |
| It is unfortunate that the true criminals find ways to throw the scent off of them and onto innocent people. Actions that involve child pornography are indeed the worst crimes known to man, if you ask me, but what is upsetting is that "innocent until proven guilty" doesn't seem to apply with them; his family and his employers disowned him, assuming he was guilty of the reasons of his arrest. Proving his innocence took six months, but clearing the tarnish from his name will take a lifetime.J Gareth Moreton, Brighton, England | It is unfortunate that the true criminals find ways to throw the scent off of them and onto innocent people. Actions that involve child pornography are indeed the worst crimes known to man, if you ask me, but what is upsetting is that "innocent until proven guilty" doesn't seem to apply with them; his family and his employers disowned him, assuming he was guilty of the reasons of his arrest. Proving his innocence took six months, but clearing the tarnish from his name will take a lifetime.J Gareth Moreton, Brighton, England |