Call Centre Theft
We've read the reports in the news (here, here) about the 'three ex-employees' of Mphasis, Pune, a call centre company stealing money from customers. Rediff is reporting it as a development that could 'bust the BPO boom'.
No one seems to notice the exact methodology that was used. I remember, when I got my PIN number for my bank account, that the instructions specifically said "DO NOT GIVE THIS NUMBER TO ANYONE, NOT EVEN A BANK EMPLOYEE." It sounds like a sensible instruction. How then did these victims give their PIN numbers to some unnamed call centre operator in India? [On a sarcastic note: According to the numerous Slashdot posts on the topic, aren't these Indian call centre workers supposed to be terrible at English, barely understandable, incapable of fixing the simplest problems? Apparently, they aren't so incomprehensible that you wouldn't give them your PIN number, eh?]
So the way in which this incident is being reported is all wrong : It's not a 'misuse of private data', it was a confidence scam. I'm pretty sure this sort of thing happens pretty frequently in the US too. Of course, when it happens there, it can't be turned into an anti-outsourcing story, can it? NASSCOM has come out with the right response to this:
The threat of data theft and misuse is no higher in India than in other countries, including the U.S., according to the National Association of Software and Service Companies in Delhi. The organization maintains that Indian outsourcing companies have adequate security systems in place.
No one seems to notice the exact methodology that was used. I remember, when I got my PIN number for my bank account, that the instructions specifically said "DO NOT GIVE THIS NUMBER TO ANYONE, NOT EVEN A BANK EMPLOYEE." It sounds like a sensible instruction. How then did these victims give their PIN numbers to some unnamed call centre operator in India? [On a sarcastic note: According to the numerous Slashdot posts on the topic, aren't these Indian call centre workers supposed to be terrible at English, barely understandable, incapable of fixing the simplest problems? Apparently, they aren't so incomprehensible that you wouldn't give them your PIN number, eh?]
So the way in which this incident is being reported is all wrong : It's not a 'misuse of private data', it was a confidence scam. I'm pretty sure this sort of thing happens pretty frequently in the US too. Of course, when it happens there, it can't be turned into an anti-outsourcing story, can it? NASSCOM has come out with the right response to this:
The threat of data theft and misuse is no higher in India than in other countries, including the U.S., according to the National Association of Software and Service Companies in Delhi. The organization maintains that Indian outsourcing companies have adequate security systems in place.
posted by Sudarshan | 8:06 AM
1 Comments:
Regardless of how idiotic the guys were to give out their PIN numbers, outsourcing is going to be blamed for it. Already there has been so much talk about security and other stuff relating to outsourcing, this incident will just add oil to the fire.
Post a Comment
<< Home