Tough new laws aimed at clamping down on identity fraud are being drafted by the NSW government.
Almost half a million Australians lost a combined $997 million to identity fraud in the last year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
The ABS attributed the crime wave to the rapid expansion of internet technology, and electronic data sharing and storage.
NSW Attorney-General John Hatzistergos said proposed new laws would make it an offence to trade any information that identifies a person, such as their name or address, driving licence, PIN or password, for the purpose of committing a secondary offence.
Read more on Sky News.