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Identity theft: what it means

Identity theft happens when someone uses your personal information without your permission to commit fraud: for example, your name, your Social Security or Medicare number, or your credit card or bank account number. With that information, a thief can rent a home, get credit cards, receive government benefits or tax refunds, or open other accounts in your name.

In Spanish it is

Robo de identidad

Also written as: ID theft · identity fraud

A hand takes a leaflet out of a mailbox at an apartment building.

Verified on October 17, 2026

2 official sources

See the whole dictionary

The full explanation

You often find out when your credit report or a statement shows accounts or charges you do not recognize, or when a debt collector calls. The federal site IdentityTheft.gov takes reports and gives you a recovery plan.

An example

Pedro gets a call from a debt collector about a card he never opened. He checks his credit report, finds other accounts that are not his and reports it at IdentityTheft.gov, which gives him a list of steps to follow.

You will see it in…

Your credit report, with accounts you did not open
Your bank or card statements, with charges you did not make
The Identity Theft Report from IdentityTheft.gov

Words that go with it

You will rarely see this word alone. These are the ones that show up with it on the same papers.

More guides that use “identity theft”

Still confused by a paper?

A HUD-approved housing counselor can walk you through it. Agencies usually charge little or nothing, many work in Spanish, and they do not sell you anything.

What a housing counselor does See free help

Official sources

We sum up what these official sources say, in plain words. We add no rules they do not state; when a rule changes, the definition and its date change.

1. CFPB · What is identity theft? (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026
2. USAGov · Identity theft (external site) · in English · Verified on October 17, 2026