Identity crisis?

IDENTITY THEFT and identity fraud have come a long way in the last decade. It was only 2004 when UK card issuers were warning everyone to be careful with their shiny new PINs as the EMV (Europay/MasterCard/Visa) smartcard security system - better known as Chip & PIN, and it seems a lifetime ago. The driving forces behind the escalation of fraud have been the Internet and, more specifically, social media. Stealing someone´s identity in the world of Facebook, Linkedln, Twitter and other social networks - allied with a sea of easily obtained name, address and associated data from a wealth of free and low-cost online sources - is now so easy that cybercriminals are even offering DIY kits to novice criminals. If that wasn´t enough, online underground forums now act as a `carder forums´ where cybercriminals buy, sell and exchange identity and payment card sets for as little as $2.00 a time - rising to $6.00 if the identity on sale is that of an apparent high-flyer (e.g. a platinum card holder) located in the UK or premium income parts of the US such as New York City and Florida.