Gigs, scams, ghost work: India tech sector’s dark side

With few jobs, India's youth are turning to the gig economy, scam call centres and AI microwork for low wages and few protections. — Photo by Alexander Andrews on Unsplash

AHMEDABAD, India: After finishing college in the western Indian city of Ahmedabad, Saurav hunted for work for more than four months before he came across an advertisement for jobs at a call centre. He signed up, not knowing it would one day land him in jail.

In his job, Saurav – who asked to go by one name to protect his identity – called people in the United States, enticed them to sign up for loans and insurance policies, then told them they needed to improve their credit score by paying US$50-US$100.