“Mouse movers” or “mouse jigglers” are devices and software designed to mimic employee activity to give the appearance of productivity while working remotely. In a report by Bloomberg, Wells Fargo & Co. fired over a dozen remote employees in May after accusations of faking work. The bank disclosed these terminations with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, stating that employees in the wealth- and investment-management unit were discharged for simulating keyboard activity to appear actively working.
A Wells Fargo spokesperson told Bloomberg that the company upholds high standards and does not tolerate unethical behavior. While the FIRNA filings did not specify if the fired employees were indeed faking work from home, the incident highlights the use of “mouse-mover” technology in enabling such behavior.
The popularity of “mouse movers” and similar devices surged during the pandemic when remote work became prevalent. These tools can move a computer’s cursor or generate keyboard activity automatically, without human interaction. Reports indicate that employees are sharing tips on using these tools on platforms like Reddit and TikTok, with affordable options available for purchase on Amazon.
Many companies now use monitoring software to track these inputs and ensure remote employees are actively working at their computers. As remote work continues post-pandemic, these monitoring tools have become more sophisticated in detecting patterns, even ones that may appear random.
This incident is not the first time Wells Fargo has faced allegations of unethical behavior from employees. In 2018, the company investigated employees in the investment bank for violating expense policies by trying to charge the company for ineligible evening meals.