Bradford MP Gerry Sutcliffe has launched a campaign to fight crooks and scamsters who are taking advantage of the latest technology to fleece innocent people.

In his role as Consumer Affairs minister, Mr Sutcliffe has to keep up to date with the ever-more ingenious methods criminals employ to cheat and defraud us.

With the rise of the internet and more reliance on technology, several loopholes have opened up to allow the opportunist thief the chance to strike.

From internet identity fraud to mobile phone scams, it seems there are now a myriad of ways in which crooks can strike against the unwary.

There is more and more reliance on financial transactions carried out by internet or telephone, yet many of us are unsure about what level of security is required and how to spot when elaborate con tricks are taking place.

The general rule of thumb is the same today as it has always been: if something seems too good to be true, then it probably is.

We are regularly assaulted by offers of riches, promises of something for nothing and pledges of win-win situations, usually by junk mail, cold callers, e-mails or text messages.

Gerry Sutcliffe and his department were in West Yorkshire yesterday to announce a series of measures to clamp down on the scams. It's to be hoped that resources will be put into battling the crooks and providing education and help for the rest of us, so that we are safe from fraudulent behaviour in this hi-tech age.

For whether it's pick-pocketing on the street or an internet money scam, a crime is a crime - and those responsible must learn that they will not be tolerated.