THE other day I received an e-mail claiming to be from one of the high street banks asking me to verify my account details as an extra security measure to help combat Internet fraud.

Very praise-worthy, you might think, but I do not have an account with the bank in question.

Soon after, I read a report by fraud consultant Frank Abagnale.

Frank, an advisor to the FBI, says technology is breeding crime, and that it is getting easier for fraudsters to hack into bank accounts and steal our identities. Frank, whose life story inspired the movie Catch Me If You Can, is a bit more than an academic expert, having, between the ages of 16 and 21, cashed $2.5m in fraudulent cheques, before the US authorities enlisted him to fight fraud.

That was 40 years ago, and he is certain the business of fraud is far easier with today's technology.

Rather than having to invest in an expensive printing press, all he would need now, he says, is a basic laptop.

Only two weeks ago, chip and pin machines in 600 Shell service stations were found to have been tampered with, netting more than £1m for the fraudsters.

Using scanning devices, they targeted cash machine users, copying the magnetic strips in cards and recording Pin numbers.

We are now shredding or tearing up our receipts and address details before disposing of them, an exercise that seemed barmy only a few years ago.

But we are often not using the right kind of shredder. Use your typical straight cut shredder and Frank can piece your precious details back together. Better apparently to get a cross-cut shredder, that leaves all trace of you in shreds, so to speak.

* Kelvyn Gracie is joint managing director of Russell Telecom, the North's first private telecommunications company established in 1984.

The Newcastle company specialises in telecommunications sales, installation and maintenance for companies including Arriva and Bishop Auckland College.

For more information, contact Mr Gracie on 0870 112 5402.

Kelvyn Gracie is joint managing director of Russell Telecom, the North's first private telecommunications company established in 1984. The Newcastle company specialises in telecommunications sales, installation and maintenance for companies inculding Arriva and Bishop Auckland College.

For more information, contact Mr Gracie on 0870 112 5402.

Published: 2/05/2006