Identity theft is the unauthorized, intentional assumption of another person's identity. It is when a criminal acquires and uses the victim's personal information, such as a Social Security number or Driver's License number, to take out loans, obtain new credit cards, rent an apartment, purchase a car, run up debt, file for bankruptcy, or conduct other criminal activities. Identity theft can not only damage someone's creditworthiness, it can also create unknown criminal records that can result in the identity theft victim being wrongly arrested or denied employment after a routine background check.
What is identity theft?
