Nasscom has in fact made an impassioned plea for further details on what Channel 4 is calling the data theft "scandal", a word that will no doubt give the IT services industry jitters. However, since the report is yet to be telecast, it is not clear who has been caught selling off the information illegally.

News reports in the UK, where unions like Amicus have viulently opposed outsourcing say that the Channel 4 story details how "middlemen" offer bulk packages of credit card numbers and other sensitive information for a price.

Nasscom's lawyers, who have been in touch with Channel 4, have reported back that the channel has not approached the banks whose credit card data has allegedly been stolen.

"We are concerned about the verifiability of such stories, especially sting operations where monetary inducements were provided. These operations sometimes go beyond uncovering wrongdoing and actually induce criminal activity that is then recorded and aired," Nasscom president Kiran Karnik said in a statement.