Identity fraud

This article's lead section contains information that is not included elsewhere in the article. If the information is appropriate for the lead of the article, this information should also be included in the body of the article. (June 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Identity fraud is the use by one person of another person's personal information, without authorization, to commit a crime or to deceive or defraud that other person or a third person. Most identity fraud is committed in the context of financial advantages, such as accessing a victim's credit card, bank accounts, or loan accounts. False or forged identity documents have been used in criminal activity (such as to gain access to security areas) or in dealings with government agencies, such as immigration. Today, the identities of real persons are often used in the preparation of these false documents. This can lead to bad consequences and trouble.

A person's personal information may be surreptitiously obtained, commonly described as identity theft, in a variety of ways. A fraudster may use another person's basic personal details (such as name, address, username, and PIN) to access the victim's online accounts, including banking accounts, email, and social media accounts. Such access may be for the purpose of obtaining further personal information on the target. More seriously, the information may then be used in truly fraudulent activities, such as opening a credit card account in the victim's name and then charging purchases to that account, or the entering into a loan agreement in the victim's name.

Identity fraud may be committed without identity theft, as in the case of the fraudster being given someone's personal information for other reasons but uses it to commit fraud, or when the person whose identity is being used is colluding with the person committing the fraud.^[1] There have been numerous cases of organisations being hacked to obtain personal information. One case of identity theft was the 2011 hacking of the PlayStation Network, when personal and credit card information of 77 million accounts were stolen.

The unauthorized use of a stolen credit card is commonly not considered identity fraud, but may be considered consumer fraud. The use of fake names, ID cards, falsified or forged documents, and lying about their own age to simply "hide" their true identity is sometimes also regarded as identity fraud. Reasons for this type of identity fraud may include wanting to purchase tobacco or alcohol as a minor as well as to continue playing on a certain sports team or organization when that person is really too old to compete.^{[2] [3]}