By Robert McMillan As anybody who has ever been the victim of identity theft knows, the reason it’s so common is because it pays. And why does it pay? Because identity thieves never go to jail. Case in point: Friday’s Boston Herald had a story about a local woman having her credit card number stolen. While on a ski vacation two weeks ago, she got a call from Dell saying she had ordered a $1,250 computer to be sent to Texas. Luckily, the victim was able to cancel the transaction before the computer got shipped, but not everyone is so lucky. According to the Herald, the victim says the chances of this criminal ever being prosecuted are “slim to none.” She ought to know. Her name is Martha Coakley and last Wednesday she was sworn in as Attorney General for the state of Massachusetts. Related content opinion Direct Marketing Association on information security: Be safe By Robert McMillan Apr 08, 2011 3 mins Data and Information Security opinion As violence escalates, Libya cuts off the Internet By Robert McMillan Feb 18, 2011 2 mins Core Java opinion An FBI backdoor in OpenBSD? By Robert McMillan Dec 15, 2010 5 mins Data and Information Security opinion Congressional candidate says Democrats leaked his Social Security number By Robert McMillan Sep 28, 2010 1 min Data and Information Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe