The accumulator

His trick

Perky and hard-working, this young twentysomething has a meticulous collection of software license keys, passwords, system addresses, versions and other information that might come in handy if you should terminate his employment. Or pass him over for a promotion, make him mad or fail to wave in a friendly way. His iPod is full of bootleg software from companies that rabidly track every copy, and he's already given your credit card database to his buddy in a former Soviet state.

Your treat

With a good change management policy and asset inventory, you might convince the accumulator that it's more accurate than it really is. Come by at inventory time and make it clear that you have per-seat person-specific license keys for software (even if you don't), and suggest that the license key a former employee gave his friend resulted in a RIAA-style shakedown for the cost of several hundred copies. Inform his manager that you received a call -- an informal warning shot -- from a software company requesting payment of a $10K license fee for software unrelated to his job. (The manager won't pay or follow up, and is likely to take care of your problem for you.)