The Gemological Institute of America has invalidated 1,042 grading reports issued by its grading lab, as they bear grades that were altered after its system was accessed without authorization by former employees of its database support contractor, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS).
The list of affected reports can be seen here. GIA requests that anyone with these reports or their accompanying diamonds return them to its lab for inspection. Entering their numbers into Report Check will show that the reports have been invalidated.
The affected diamonds were mostly submitted in India, though some also came into GIA’s Carlsbad, Calif., headquarters. The stones were graded in whole or in part at various GIA locations, including its U.S. and India labs. The diamonds were submitted between November 2014 and September 2015; approximately 900 were submitted in July and August.
The issue was caught when the lab flagged certain grading discrepancies through its internal controls. It subsequently launched an investigation in conjunction with TCS.
The investigation revealed that one or more former TCS employees gained remote access to the system and made unauthorized changes to specific grades on behalf of certain parties. The clients who submitted the diamonds in question have been contacted and suspended from subsequent submissions to GIA pending further investigation.
The unauthorized changes involved both color and clarity grades, says spokesperson Stephen Morisseau.
GIA and TCS have made the results of their investigation known to law enforcement agencies in India, and they are actively investigating the matter, a statement said, adding that the incident has led GIA to strengthen its controls.
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