Since the dawn of time we have witnessed groups and individuals benefiting from the efforts of others. When the first two tribes in Stone-Age times lined up to do battle, there were a couple of opportunists standing on the sidelines cheering on both sides whilst selling them flint axes and spears to kill each other off.

Over the past decade and more, Scotland has seen the cause of nationalism becoming more of a magnet for these opportunists. As normal criminal activity becomes more risky, it behoves today's criminal to examine areas of Scottish society that may have been overlooked ere this, areas that might pay dividends without the risks of early arrest and imprisonment.

The various groups, organisations and indeed the national political party themselves have been wide open to this kind of criminal exploitation for quite some time now.

When a lifelong Labour supporter realised that his metal-working hobby might pay more should he adorn himself in tartan and attend nationalist parades and rallies, the nationalist "Weaponsmaster" was invented. Naturally there would be little profit or even interest from members of the Labour party in the purchasing of Scottish basket-hilt broadswords, Wallace-type brands, leather targes, dirks and skean dhu's, so it became prudent for this self-confessed Labourite to suddenly discover his "Scottishness" in order to exploit the bank accounts of patriotic nationalists.

As time went on and the nationalist cause gained even more popularity, we saw the largest piece of exploitation one could imagine in that Hollywood itself saw the potential to exploit Scots folklore and cash in on the popular nationalism so apparent in Scotland. At least the nationalist cause gained more than it lost to Mel Gibson and the Hollywood film studios. Publicity and propaganda like this could not be purchased cheaply, and on this occasion Scotland gained the most from this exploitation.

At this time however, we are not concerned with the little guys who make a reasonable living from the sale of Scottish weaponry, the sale of kilts or other regalia, or even those who have furthered their careers on the backs of Scottish nationalism. In this new era of criminal exploitation and opportunism there is a far more serious threat coming into being, a well thought-out and potentially high earning scam that sees the use of technology as being the source of unearned and undeclared money. The technology referred to is the computer and the area: the internet.