Indian call centre security breach: man admits guilt

'Didn't know what was on CD'

By OUT-LAW.COM • Get more from this author

Posted in Software & Security, 28th June 2005 07:16 GMT

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The man who sold a CD containing the confidential details of 1,000 British bank accounts to an undercover reporter says he did not know what it contained. The Sun reported last week that the details were obtained by corrupt workers at call centres in India.

According to Reuters, Karan Bahree, 24, from New Dehli, admitted his guilt in a letter to his employers, web development company, Infinity eSearch.

A friend had given him the CD, he said, but he had no idea what was on it.

In a statement, Infinity eSearch insisted that it did not hold the sort of information that is supposed to have been sold, but was investigating. It has now fired Bahree.

"We have sacked Bahree keeping in view the larger interest of the company,” company lawyer Deepak Masih told the Hindustan Times. “This was decided at an emergency board meeting of the company on Saturday night. Since he was on probation there was no need or any reason for us to serve any notice to him before sacking. We have terminated his service with immediate effect".

According to The Sun, the information, which includes addresses, passwords, phone numbers and driving license and passport details, was purchased for £3 per customer. Financial institutions such as Barclays, Lloyds TSB, the Nationwide and HSBC were affected.

The Sun’s Delhi-based contact boasted that he could sell details of up to 200,000 accounts each month, said the newspaper.