It may not seem like there’s a difference, but identity theft and identity fraud pertain to different concepts. Identity theft means the process of obtaining your information illegally, while identity fraud means how criminals have used this information for fraudulent activities.

You could argue that, based on the term itself, “identity theft” occurs when someone steals your identity. And “identity fraud” occurs when that person uses your identity to commit fraud or illegally deceive someone. But the two terms — identity theft and identity fraud — have become interchangeable.