# Identity Theft

When someone's personal identity information is stolen and used to commit fraud in their name.

**Identity theft[↗](/identity-theft)** is the theft of a person's identity information for use in fraud or other crimes committed in their name. An attacker who obtains your name, national ID number, date of birth, or card and bank details can impersonate you and carry out transactions as you.

What can be done with a stolen identity is broad: opening a bank account or credit card in your name, taking out loans, making purchases, taking over your existing accounts, or even using your identity in official processes. This information is usually gathered through data breaches, phishing[↗](/phishing), dumpster diving[↗](/dumpster-diving), or malware[↗](/malware). The damage often surfaces with a delay, information can be misused years after it was originally leaked.

Effective protection includes monitoring whether your information has appeared in known data breaches, safely destroying sensitive documents, using strong, unique passwords with multi-factor authentication[↗](/authentication), and regularly reviewing your bank and credit activity. If you suspect your identity has been stolen, quickly notifying the relevant institutions (bank, payment providers) and filing the necessary reports limits the damage.