identity theft
noun
: the illegal use of someone else's personal information (such as a Social Security number) especially in order to obtain money or credit
Examples of identity theft in a Sentence
How can we protect ourselves against identity theft?
Recent Examples on the Web
Scammers could dig up more information on social media and use many of those details to attempt to commit identity theft — or hack into one of your accounts.
—
Susan Tompor, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
The breach notification letters confirm that attackers accessed sensitive data that can fuel identity theft and fraud.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
The data included in this data breach included names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers and more, all of which can readily be used by criminals for costly identity theft.
—Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Von Ferdinand is charged with nearly three dozen counts, including forgery, identity theft and grand theft, while Alto faces eight counts, including perjury, forgery and identity theft.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for identity theft
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Susan Tompor, USA Today, 7 Sep. 2025
The breach notification letters confirm that attackers accessed sensitive data that can fuel identity theft and fraud.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
The data included in this data breach included names, addresses, birth dates, Social Security numbers and more, all of which can readily be used by criminals for costly identity theft.
—Steve Weisman, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
Von Ferdinand is charged with nearly three dozen counts, including forgery, identity theft and grand theft, while Alto faces eight counts, including perjury, forgery and identity theft.
—City News Service, San Diego Union-Tribune, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for identity theft
Cite this Entry
“Identity theft.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/identity%20theft. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share