Which term describes stealing personal information such as name, banking information, and social security number to impersonate someone?

• A. Credit card fraud
• B. Identity theft
• C. Phishing
• D. Skimming

Answer: (B)

Identity theft is the act of taking someone’s personal information—like their name, banking details, or Social Security number—and using it to pretend to be that person. The goal is to access money, open accounts, or receive services under someone else’s identity, which is precisely what the description describes. This term covers the overall wrongdoing of impersonating someone by using stolen identifiers.

The other terms refer to specific methods or outcomes but don’t name the act of assuming another person’s identity: credit card fraud involves using stolen card data to make purchases; phishing is a trick to coax people into revealing information; skimming is secretly copying card data from a payment card’s magnetic stripe. Identity theft best fits the scenario because it centers on stealing identifying information to impersonate someone.