I'm Me, Who Are You?
One of the most common crimes on the Net is that of identity theft -- and it's getting worse by the day.

Of course stealing someone's identity is a fraud that is nothing new, but the Net does make it a whole lot easier and safer for any would-be fraudster looking to steal a quick dollar or two.

Perhaps the most common form of ID theft is the use of stolen credit cards to buy goods or services over the Net. This slow-news day story from the NZ Herald shows that such deceptions are a real problem for merchants in both the real and virtual worlds.

As recent news stories have shown, even the "big names" such as Bill Gates and Opra Winfrey aren't immune to such ID thefts and this story shows that, despite assurances from the banks, there is still a very tangeable risk associated with using your credit card online.

So how do you minimise the risks while still enjoying your online shopping experience?

Of course with most credit cards you're indemnified against the first $50 of loss if someone steals your card details and uses them -- but it can still be a pain to convince the CC company that a transaction was fraudulent -- then there's the hassle of having to cancel the card and wait while a new one is issued.

I strongly suggest that if you plan to buy stuff over the Net that you either get a Visa-branded debit card or a second credit card with a very low limit which you can used solely for online purchases.

A lot of people seem unaware that most banks now offer Visa-branded debit cards that work just like a CC except that you don't get offered credit -- all purchases are made against an account with a credit balance. Think of it as an EFTPOS transaction where you don't need a PIN.

If you use Internet banking then it becomes a very simple matter to simply transfer only the money you intend to spend over into the account associated with your debit card then go and buy your product or service over the Net. Even if your card details are stolen -- they're useless because any attempt to use it will be declined due to insufficient funds. A simple, relatively inexpensive and very effective method of fighting online fraud.

I'm actually quite surprised that the banks aren't promoting debit cards operating against a separate low-balance account as the most sensible option for Net purchases -- it would save everyone a lot of hassle and expense -- particularly the many retailers who ultimately end up losing their money when credit card fraud is performed over the Net.

But then again, based on last Friday's column it's fairly plain to see that some banks are still a little bit confused by this Internet thing.

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Power To The People -- or Not?
So, once again New Zealand is facing a power crisis -- what's going on here?

Of course the smart Aucklanders will still have their generators, candles and gas-powered heaters tucked away in a back room somewhere -- but what about the rest of the country?

More importantly -- what about our knowledge industries who are absolutely reliant on a reliable electricity supply to go about their business?

Is there a whole lot of use in pouring hundreds of millions of dollars into promoting hi-tech R&D when key infrastructure services such as electricity generation and reticulation are in such disarray?

What are the government doing to fix this fiasco? Do they not realise that high power prices are simply another tax on the citizens of this country?

Our susceptibility to low hydro-levels has been well known since the early 1990s when a similar situation arose -- exactly what steps have been taken to address the problem and what is being done to sort out the absolute folly of recent electricity reforms?

The government is exceedingly quick to raid our paypackets to fill their coffers -- now it's time they earned their salaries and allowances by fixing this mess double-quick.

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