A shortage of skilled labor in India may result in a spike in identity theft at Indian call centers, technology research firm Gartner warned in a recent report.
The Indian government estimates the need for trained and qualified employees in call centers will reach 1 million by 2009 with an expected shortfall of 260,000 workers, according to Gartner.
As a result, Indian call centers will begin to experience high staff attrition rates as employees switch companies looking for higher salaries and advancements in their careers, Gartner predicts. Also, as costs go up for Indian call centers, India’s competitive advantage in the area of labor costs will begin to dwindle, the Stamford, CT-based research firm said.
Any resulting drop in due diligence by Indian call centers in their hiring practices will increase the likelihood of less trustworthy employees getting jobs at the centers, Gartner said.
“This increases the risk of fraud and theft of confidential data, an issue that has been highlighted in recent months,” the report said.
In April, three ex-employees of an Indian call center were arrested for trying to steal about $350,000 from some U.S. Citibank accounts using customers’ personal information and PIN numbers. In July, July a call center worker in India reported sold the account information on 1,000 customers of a U.K. bank to an undercover reporter for the U.K.’s Sun newspaper for about $7.55 each.
