Indian Telerep Flap Grows with Data Theft Charges
The reaction against Indian call centers has gone beyond complaints about poor language skills and the use of American nicknames by telereps. Now critics are claiming that customer data is far from secure on the sub-continent.
The Sun, a British tabloid, charged that call center workers in Pune stole $350,000 from Citibank account holders, according to Financial Times.
And it alleged that a software company employee sold a CD containing data on 1,000 accounts to the Sun, the account continued. Included were passwords, credit card numbers and addresses obtained from corrupt call center workers.
But just as Indian telereps feel they are the victims of racism. so do boosters of the local call center industry. The Economic Times, an Indian newspaper, accused the Sun of “Indiaphobia,” and a politician said the story was part of a campaign to undermine India as an offshore destination, Financial Times reported.
Are these fears reasonable? Are U.S. firms exposing customers to identity theft when they outsource their telemarketing? Please send your views to [email protected]
