Two BBC undercover reporters met the broker in a Delhi coffee shop for an encounter that was filmed secretly, according to a on the BBC Web site that was also broadcast.

Sachar told the reporters that he could supply them with hundreds of credit and debit card details each week at a cost of US$10 dollars a card. He said some of the numbers had been obtained from call centers handling mobile phone sales, or payments for phone bills, the BBC said.

After the reporters agreed to initially buy the details of 50 cards, the man handed over a list of 14. He said the remainder would be sent later by e-mail. Back in the U.K., the broker continued to supply card details to one of the undercover reporters by e-mail, the BBC said.

Nearly all of the names, addresses and post codes sold to the BBC team were valid, the BBC said. But most of the numbers attached to them were invalid - often out by a single digit, it added.

Three of the persons whose details were provided to the undercover reporters had bought software from Symantec by giving their credit card details to a call center over the phone.