Strathclyde Police in Scotland today claimed that at least one in ten call centers in and around Glasgow has been infiltrated by criminal gangs seeking access to personal and financial data records. The call center industry is one of Glasgow’s biggest employers, with around 18,000 employees.
Detective Chief Inspector Dere Robertson told the BBC: “We know of organised crime groups who are placing people within the call centres so that they can steal customers’ data and carry out fraud and money laundering… And of course you have the disgruntled employee who may turn their hand to fraud just to benefit themselves.”
Unions have cited poor wages and high staff turnovers as the major security risks to call centers - prompting fears that with an average salary of £14,000 / $26,400, staff are more likely to be tempted to earn extra cash by selling-on information.
