In a world of credit cards and internet commerce, stealing another person's financial identity is very big business for criminals. It is estimated by the UK Government that more than 100,000 people are affected by identity theft in the UK each year, costing the British economy over ?1.3 billion annually. However, identify theft is no new crime. It has been around as long as sin. I suppose Jacob pretending to be his brother Esau is an example. But there is another who specilises in such thefts. Our text identifies him! The devil leads a highly organised gang of identity thieves and the consequences is not to be calculated in monetary terms but rather in the loss men's eternal souls. The identity of the Apostle of Ireland, Patrick, has long been in the hands of tricksters and it has been used to deceive millions of Irish men and women in particular regarding the true means of forgiveness of sins and the way to heaven. This week past has seen the evidence of the deception with drunkenness, riot and violence freely engaged in by those who think they celebrate the man and his ministry. How wrong they are! They are but another generations of victims of an old deception.