London:
Bank and credit card details of thousands of British customers held in call centres in India are allegedly being sold for small amounts of money, according to a sting operation conducted by a newspaper.
The Sun today published details of the sting operation in which one Deepak Chuphal offered to pass on bank details, addresses and other personal data of British customers of companies who send such data to call centres in India.
The report once again raised questions about data protection laws in India and demands that British companies bring back call centres to Britain.
The Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) launched an investigation based on The Sun's revelations that brokers in Gurgaon and Mumbai were offering such sensitive personal data for sale.
The data can be misused to access funds from the accounts of unsuspecting British customers.
Calling the findings "an absolute bombshell", the UK's Fraud Prevention Service CIFAS communications manager Richard Hurley said: "I am astounded. The information being traded is everything a criminal needs to clear out an account or steal an identity. That this is happening on an industrial scale is enough to make anyone shudder. This is a wake-up call. Security processes and staff vetting need to be reviewed."
The Sun's team bought the details of 1,000 British customers from the dealer for 250 pounds.
The report said: "We were given bank account details, personal data and credit card numbers with the three-digit CVV security code needed for use on the phone or web. There were even online account passwords".