Never mind the homey advice about shredding your credit card statements and anything that has your Security Security number or other identification that could be stolen. Identity thieves have moved beyond that. (Although it's still a good idea to deter those "mom and pop" identity operations that crop up now and then.)

Last year, cyber thieves cut out the middle man and mined the personal information on 110,000 consumers from the data banks of Atlanta-based ChoicePoint data selling company, which gathers personal information on us without our permission and then turns around and sells it to everyone from landlords to prospective employers.

After more than 750 people were victimized by identity theft schemes using the data that had been duped out of ChoicePoint by thieves posing as business people in a very amateurish sort of sting, the company fell all over itself to assure its customers that their privacy was its first concern. Yes, no doubt - in that way that a pickpocket's first concern is that no other thief gets to you first.

In April, the international global data seller, LexisNexis, reported that Social Security numbers and other personal data of up to 310,000 consumers had been stolen by thieves who had obtained legitimate passwords issued to LexisNexis customers.

In the wake of these developments, ChoicePoint (a wonderfully Orwellian name if we've ever heard one) declared itself oh, so sorry. They aren't that sorry. Even with the fraud incident, ChoicePoint reported a first quarter total revenue for 2005 of $259.3 million. That represents 19-percent growth compared to last year.

Since the Social Security number is the master key that opens up a host of sensitive data, it's past time that lawmakers respond. More states and the federal governement need to have laws that would require data banks to inform victims when their personal information has been stolen.

However, there is only so much that lawmakers can do. Many of the worst offenders are offshore. If the global economy is to thrive, nations need to agree at the next trade summit on international rules regarding identity theft that would ensure uniform strict enforcement and swift prosecution of cyber thieves.

No nation condones robbery at the point of a gun. It's puzzling why so many continue to overlook robbery at the click of a mouse.