identity theft

American  

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

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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

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Etymology

Origin of identity theft

1995–2000

Example Sentences

Deleting personal data directly from data brokers can reduce the threat of identity theft and impersonation scams.

From The Wall Street Journal

Perhaps this was identity theft, but it’s also possible brokers submitted fake Social Security numbers to enroll ineligible or phantom people in plans.

From The Wall Street Journal

A man who unknowingly bought a stolen car for £13,000, after fraudsters allegedly used a sophisticated type of identity theft to "clone" it, is urging others to be vigilant.

From BBC

And if identity theft does happen, there’s an established process to recover any monetary losses.

From The Wall Street Journal

The Sheriff’s Department is not currently investigating any identity theft cases involving foreign scholars, he said.

From Los Angeles Times