Define identity theft and phishing and explain why identity theft is such a big problem today.

Identity theft is a crime in which an imposter obtains key pieces of personal information such as Social Security identification numbers, driver’s licence numbers, or credit card numbers, to impersonate someone else. The identity theft is such a big problem today because the information may be used to obtain credit, merchandise, or services in the name of the victim or to provide the thief with false credentials. Pnishing is one of popular tactic which is a form of spoofing. It involves setting up fake Web sites or sending e-mail messages that look like those of legitimate businesses to ask users for confidential personal data.