Indian trade association to probe Australian customer data theft

The trade body has asked the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's (ABC) to provide details of a recent sting operation where an undercover reporter working for ABC's Four Corners programme was offered confidential customer records by call centre workers in India.

The case is the third this year involving a breach of customer data by call centre workers in the country. In June an undercover reporter working for a UK tabloid newspaper was allegedly able to buy the bank account details of 1000 customers from an IT worker in Delhi. Furthermore, back in April three former employees of Indian BPO firm MphasiS were arrested for allegedly siphoning off $300,000 from Citibank customers after stealing account details while working at an offshore call centre in India.

Nasscom says the problem of data theft was not unique to any country but it is implementing measures to increase security - including the formation of a national database of registerd BPO staff - and says the industry is determined to raise standards even further.