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.