The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is offering £20,000 to London workers who shop their bosses in the run up to Christmas as part of its anti-piracy crackdown in the capital.

Following campaigns in Manchester and Glasgow, the anti-piracy body has turned its watchful gaze onto businesses in London, which it claims are installing pirated software to the tune of £149m each year.

It has already reached settlements with several firms.

Now it has launched a campaign encouraging London workers to shop their employers, which it claimed will reach 3.5 million Londoners in November and December.

To support this, the reward on offer to whistleblowers who act before 31 December has been doubled to a potential £20,000.

According to research conducted by YouGov and sponsored by the BSA, there will be no shortage of potential participants - it found that 40 per cent of London workers are willing to turn their boss in for a financial reward if they had been made redundant.

Alyna Cope, spokesperson for the BSA UK Committee, said: “Many cash-strapped employees are willing to supplement their earnings in the run up to Christmas by reporting illegal business practices, and the affects of the recession are making them even more likely to expose corporate wrongdoings.”

Cope also issued a warning to those engaged in unlicensed software use.

“We are already investigating several companies in London for using unlicensed software, and they face the prospect of legal proceedings,” she said. “Businesses should think carefully about their software use and avoid wasting money on legal action, financial settlements and the unplanned purchase of legitimate software.”