oogle, the most popular search engine on the World Wide Web, offers anyone with an Internet connection access to billions of Web pages and other content. With just a few keystrokes, and at no charge, you have access to information on practically everything-possibly even your credit card number.

CNET News.com recently reported that queries made using Google's search engine can bring up Web sites where crooks have posted lists of hundreds of credit card account numbers, including the cardholders' names, addresses and phone numbers.

Google enables users to perform detailed searches by number, including UPS and FedEx tracking numbers, vehicle ID (VIN) numbers, UPC codes, patent numbers, even FCC equipment, so it's not surprising that people smart enough to take advantage of this powerful technology are using it for pursuits that are hardly innocent.

"Just the fact that you can do this is a testament to how prevalent this problem is," said Mike Brown, President of CardCops.com.

CardCops.com provides Internet merchants with software to help eliminate or "scrub" fraudulent transactions. It also helps consumers protect their personal data by collecting data using a proprietary "bot," which scours pages of the World Wide Web, including newsgroups, search engines and chat rooms for card data.

"Hackers and ID thieves are getting this information and monetizing it by trading with others; that's how it gets out there on the net. Most of these people operate overseas and prey on Americans. And even if our authorities find out who they are, there's not much they can do about it," Brown said.

Google is currently in a quiet period because of its initial public offering (IPO) of stock on Aug. 18, 2004 and could not comment on this story.