Kate poured more syrup on her french toast. “When I asked you why you didn’t return the money to the people it had been stolen from, you said it wasn’t that easy. Why not?”
“Once the credit card numbers are stolen, they’re bundled and sold to people called carders. The carders then use the numbers to make new cards to buy merchandise that will be returned to the store for a refund or sold, possibly overseas. At that point, there’s no way to recover the merchandise or the cash. Most people—after canceling their cards—will hopefully receive compensation from their credit card company or get the charges reversed. But sometimes it takes a while to get everything sorted out, and for those who need the available credit to get them through to the next payday, or to buy food or put gas in their car, it can cause real hardship.”
“So where do you go to steal the money back?”
“Right into the carders’ bank accounts usually. Some of the more prolific thieves have hundreds of thousands of dollars sitting in them. I don’t take a large enough amount at one time to raise any red flags, but even if they noticed the money was missing, they’re not going to do anything about it—other than be very pissed—because they don’t want to draw attention to their own illegal activities.”
Kate was dumbfounded. “Hundreds of thousands?”
“It’s not uncommon. Even a black hat who only dabbles is likely to have more cash than he could ever hope for.”
Kate was silent for a moment.
“What is it?” he said.
“I’m sorry, I just… I got a visual of you all sitting around in front of your computers wearing little hats.”
“That’s very cute.”
“So what color is your hat when you take the money from black hat hackers? Is it gray?”
“Yes. Gray hat hacking is typically done in the name of goodwill even though it’s often illegal. My hat is gray whenever it suits me.”
“I had no idea this whole culture even existed.”
“People wouldn’t sleep as well at night if they knew what hackers were capable of.”
“Then I guess I’ll sleep extra soundly when the best hacker of them all is in my bed.”
“In case you weren’t already aware, I’ll be in your bed on a regular basis from now on.”
“Lucky me,” Kate said, smiling. “As for the ‘appropriating,’ your arguments are very persuasive. But it still goes against everything I believe in when it comes to the law. We don’t get to mete out vigilante justice no matter how defensible it seems.”
“It’s an ethical quandary for sure, but not one I happen to struggle with. I have no trouble playing Robin Hood. I don’t keep any of the money for myself. I don’t want it, and I certainly don’t need it. I do it because taking the money from thieves and giving it to those who are more deserving makes me feel like I’m playing an active part in offsetting the wrongdoing.”
“I can understand that,” Kate said.
“You know, the babies don’t really understand Christmas. As long as they have enough to eat, they’re in good shape. But the younger kids…”
“Don’t you dare,” Kate said.
“What? Mention that little boy I saw you holding on your lap? The one with the Curious George hat you were feeding chocolate to? And he has, what? Two sisters?”
When Ian said he missed nothing, he really meant it.
“I see that you’ve identified—and are now exploiting—my weakness so that I’ll let you fix it, regardless of what it might cost me in integrity.”
“I’m a hacker, Katie. It’s what I do.”
If Kate let Ian help her, she could feed her clients and give their children some semblance of a real Christmas. Sure, there were more important things than presents, but to a homeless child or one whose family lived far below the poverty line, a hot meal and a toy could make all the difference. “I’m resisting this with every part of my being.”
“Given your education and professional background, I’d be more worried if you didn’t have a problem with it. Just think about it, okay?”
“Okay.”