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Pretexting Scandal At Hewlett-Packard, Debra J. Reed

Debra J Reed

In 2006 Hewlett-Packard Corporation, (H.P.) and Chairwoman Patricia Dunn committed the tort of intrusion and violated the right to privacy afforded to citizens by California’s Constitution when Patricia C. Dunn ordered the requisition of the phone records of H.P. directors and members of the media. H.P.’s agents masqueraded as the directors and journalists to the phone company in order to induce the phone company to hand over the private phone records. This practice, referred to as pretexting, became a criminal offense in 2007.

Someone in Hewlett-Packard’s, (H.P.) boardroom was covertly speaking to the media about confidential board business. As early …