Wells Fargo has fired more than a dozen employees for falsifying keyboard activity to deceive the bank into believing they were working. The terminated employees were all part of the firm’s wealth and investment management unit, as reported by Bloomberg on Thursday.
In its disclosure to the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, the third-largest bank in America stated that the employees were “discharged after review of allegations involving simulation of keyboard activity creating an impression of active work.”
A spokesperson for Wells Fargo told Reuters, “Wells Fargo holds employees to the highest standards and does not tolerate unethical behavior.”
The bank did not specify how it discovered the alleged keyboard simulation or whether it was related to remote work.
During the pandemic, many companies implemented sophisticated tools to monitor employees, tracking eye movement, keyboard activity, and taking screenshots of the web pages they visited. These tools became popular as remote work became more prevalent.
Employees have found ways to bypass these tracking tools, such as faking keyboard activity, which led to the termination of the Wells Fargo employees.
Devices and software known as “mouse movers” or “mouse jigglers” became popular during the pandemic, simulating keyboard activity to trick the system into thinking a person is working, even if they are away from their keyboards. These devices are available on Amazon for less than $10, according to BBC.
In early 2022, Wells Fargo instructed most of its employees, including those in customer-facing roles, to return to the office and work under a hybrid flexible model.