A former ID fraudster who now works for the US government has
praised the security of the British passport - and says
it is pointless for ministers to spend extra billions on
a separate national ID card scheme.
In a speech which opened the City IT and IT Security Forum on
board the Aurora ship this week, Frank Abagnale said the UK's
national ID Card scheme is "another data source, more information
to steal,
more information about people being put in a central
place".
"Why would you go to a national ID card when you already have
one of the most secure documents in the world, the British
passport?" he said.
Abagnale was a conman in his youth who has since worked for the
FBI for more than 25 years as an ID and fraud expert.
He said stealing a person's identity is, for some criminals,
almost as "simple as counting one two three".
As a teenager, Abagnale took on false identities, posing as an
airline pilot, an attorney, a college professor and a
paediatrician. He served time in prisons in France, Sweden and the
US after making $2.5m in 26 countries. A film by Hollywood director
Stephen Speilberg, "Catch me if you Can", is based on Abagnale's ID
frauds.
Abagnale was released early from prison on condition he worked
for federal law enforcement agencies and the US government without
payment. He teaches, and helps with FBI investigations.
He has rejected pardons from three US presidents, including the
incumbent George Bush. "I do not believe that a piece of paper will
excuse my actions," he said. The pardons were offered because of
Abagnale's work for the FBI.
In this week's talk he warned against government plans to make
general use of the ID Card number due to be issued to UK
citizens.
"We give away way too much information," he said. "In the US we
didn't get our social security number until you got your first job,
probably when about 16. Three people knew it: you, the government
and your employer.
"Then they started using that number as an ID number and started
putting it on all types of college ID cards, health cards and that
number became an identification number and consequently we are
where we are today [with growing ID theft] because of that
problem."
After his talk he was asked whether fraud is easier today or
than in his youth. He said: "Stealing one's identity today is as
simple as counting one two, three. Becoming somebody else is a very
simple thing to do. In the old days it just took a little longer
because I didn't have the internet.
"To become somebody else or assume a phony ID, I had to go to
the county death records and look up somebody who died, who was my
age. Once I had the death records, I had the mother's name,
father's name, place and date of birth, and mother's maiden
name.
"From the death certificate I was able to apply for the birth
certificate. With this, I was able to apply for a driver's license.
Today the only difference is that it's all available online.
"In the US 2007 there were 15 million [ID fraud] victims, one
every 4 seconds, and credit card companies lost in excess of 60bn
dollars. ID theft is limited only by the criminal's imagination.
Today we haven't even begun to see what can be done when you can
assume somebody else's identity."
"I paid back all the money I owed more than 20 years ago. So
there are no victims from the crimes I committed. There was no
court order of restitution I paid it back through the technologies
I have designed and received royalties on," he said,
He said his obligation to the US government ended 26 years ago.
"I said I would continue to work for them on the condition that I
received no income from the government.
"To this day I have not accepted one dime in return for my work
for the FBI. I support myself through public speaking, books I have
written, technologies I have developed for Novell and Unisys The
government is forced to pay me, so I return that money at the end
of the year through the Treasury department."
He was given three sets of enthusiastic applause at the close of
his talk this week to technology specialists, IT security experts,
suppliers and finance specialists.