identity theft

American  

1. the fraudulent appropriation and use of someone's identifying or personal data or documents, as a credit card.

---

identity theft British  

noun

1. the crime of setting up and using bank accounts and credit facilities fraudulently in another person's name without his or her knowledge

---

Etymology

Origin of identity theft

1995–2000

Example Sentences

Ultimately, the best way to defend against tax identity fraud is to file your taxes early, so scammers and identity thieves aren’t able to get to it before you.

From Salon • Feb. 25, 2025

Dumpster diving: Despite the rise of digital theft, some identity thieves still resort to traditional methods like rummaging through discarded documents for sensitive information.

From Salon • Oct. 13, 2024

The company whose data breach potentially exposed every American’s Social Security number to identity thieves finally has acknowledged the data theft — and said hackers obtained even more sensitive information than previously reported.

From Los Angeles Times • Aug. 16, 2024

Freezing your credit report has long been regarded as one of the best steps to take to make sure identity thieves cannot obtain loans or credit cards in your name.

From New York Times • Oct. 27, 2023

This increases what can be gained by identity thieves.

From Encyclopedia.com • Sep. 19, 2018