THE identity of David Blunkett has been “stolen” by a reporter who was able to use a copy of the home secretary’s birth certificate to obtain a provisional driving licence. Blunkett’s name and date of birth appear on the licence.

The use of the certificate, legally obtained, to get a licence in Blunkett’s name has highlighted the growing threat posed by identity fraud. The government is now planning new laws to curb the practice.

Last night, Beverley Hughes, the Home Office minister, said measures could include tighter checks on the identity of those seeking copies of birth certificates and other documents.

“If we are to protect people better from this growing threat, we would need to make more stringent checks,” said Hughes.

The hijacking by conmen of victims’ details, usually to obtain fake documents or steal money, has tripled in the past two years, according to new figures. Banks, building societies and financial institutions reported more than 40,000 cases of identity fraud in 2002 compared with fewer than 13,000 cases in 2000.

Conmen often create new identities by trawling through bins, collecting bills and bank statements that can be used to build up the false identity.

A birth certificate can be obtained with no requirement to prove identity. The name on the certificate can be entered on the electoral roll with no checks. Utility bills and a driving licence can then be obtained.

Henri Cash, 45, a West Sussex businessman, fell victim to a conman who ran up £30,000 of debts in his name after “stealing” his identity.

“This person was allowed to use my credit history without any proper checks,” said Cash.

In a BBC1 investigation to be shown on Wednesday, the journalist Paul Kenyon, who obtained the Blunkett driving licence, also managed to get a licence and bank account in the name of Frederick Forsyth.

The Day of the Jackal, Forsyth’s novel that was made into a film in 1973, featured an assassin who assumed the identity of a dead child.

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