The Indian business process outsourcing (BPO) industry has attacked UK-based Channel 4 for conducting a sting operation on Indian call centres. This expose apparently shows how offshore locations in India fail to protect confidential customer data.

The investigative report by Channel 4 will only be aired on October 4 at 9 pm, according to the channel web site. "Sue Turton, senior reporter for

Channel 4 News, investigates the call centre security failures which allow personal financial details to be stolen and illegally traded," the web site says.

Clearly, India's call centres have a role in this expose since Channel 4 has been in touch with the National Association on Software and Services Companies (Nasscom) which speaks for call centre and information technology businesses in India.

In turn, Nasscom has served Channel 4 with a legal notice asking for a "clearer picture of who sold what data to whom'' from the news channel, sources in Nasscom said. That information has been refused by Channel 4, Nasscom also said today in a statement.

The Indian BPO industry has not taken this new investigative report well, with veterans now saying that it is "virtually" impossible to steal credit card data or passport and driving licence numbers. They have also suggested that vested interests are at play in this investigation.

"Something is amiss, that's what I think," said Raman Roy, founder of Quattro, an outsourcing company based in New Delhi. "I think that anyone with information as critical as this -- proof of confidential data sold off illegally -- should come forward with that information and help us tackle the fraud legally. Else, I think I can ask if vested interests are at play in such investigations," he said.

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