Passport Service gunning for 'Jackal'-style ID fraudsters

The UK Passport Service (UKPS) is planning to close up what it is calling the 'Day of the Jackal' identity theft loophole - 30 years after the film was made.

In the 1973 film classic, Edward Fox's hitman creates a fake ID by taking the name of a dead child from a gravestone and acquiring the infant's birth certificate.

There is still no effective system in place today to prevent similar fraud.

But, apparently belatedly inspired by the movie, the UKPS is working on a system to perform retrospective data checks to identify suspicious historic applications.

The Office of National Statistics and the General Registry Office has provided historic data for England and Wales, but progress elsewhere has been slow.

The General Registry for Northern Ireland is not expected to supply data until next March, with even that date subject to confirmation.

And although the General Registry Office for Scotland already holds records electronically, a timetable for matching and delivery of data has still to be agreed, with completion not expected until next Spring.

There is still work outstanding on a Service Level Agreement for future annual updates, contact points and financial arrangements.

A Home Office spokesperson blamed the delay on the difficulty preventing abuse of a statutory right of access to public birth, marriage and death records.

A spokesman claimed the technology matching birth and death records and linking with passport applications had only become available 'in recent years.'