ID theft - very 21st century, very serious

The strange case of Derek Bond - the hapless British pensioner wrongly detained in a South African police cell under suspicion of being a 'most wanted' US con-artist - has brought the concept of ID theft to a wide audience.

If this innocent, by all accounts mild-mannered, senior citizen can be embroiled in a Kafkaesque saga then it could happen to any of us. Right?

The simple answer is yes, it could, but there are things we can all do to make the practice harder for the bad guys out there.

ID theft is normally always about money. Criminals - nearly always very organised criminals - get hold of an individual's key data. This normally includes full name, date of birth, contact details, bank account and credit card numbers, and documents such as passports or driving licences. With these they acquire new credit cards, open new accounts, and eventually ring up bills which they never pay for. No prizes for guessing who the authorities then come looking for.

This is a crime that destroys lives. Even those that seek and attain justice normally have to deal with years of miscalculated credit ratings and criminal investigations.

The bad news is that, as with most things, technology is opening up possibilities as to what can befall us. Setting up false websites to harvest - or 'phish' for - names and credit card numbers or even AOL or eBay account details is nothing new.

And how many of us throw away half completed credit card application forms mass mailed on a regular basis which can easily be 'recycled' by the unscrupulous?

The authorities and big technology companies know that identity is one of the most valuable things we have. The big debate on entitlement cards isn't just about civil liberties and streamlining services - when push comes to shove they should be a way of proving who you are.

Of course, the argument goes, get them wrong or leave the system open to abuse and the pitfalls are even more severe than now.

silicon.com's recent coverage of the 'Nigerian' 419 scams has highlighted the fraudsters, even when they don't get away with sums stumped up in advance of a fictitious big pay day, often amass personal details, as outlined above. It's a short jump to ID theft-related crime.

And as one reader pointed out, why not sell on such information to those that can do a lot with someone else's ID, such as terrorists?

Not only will we hear more about ID theft - the seriousness of the crimes is likely to escalate.