In the IT sector, an “identity” usually refers to a user, group, device or service that accesses a resource.
If the identity contains data that is not true or if the entire identity is fake, then it is considered a fake identity. In terms of IT, it can be a device that pretends to be another in order to deceive services or other devices. Or a service or user that pretends to be someone they are not.
It is always dangerous when fake identities are used to harm others. The keyword here is phishing. In some cases, complete websites are faked and deceptively recreated with the intention of tricking potential victims into entering confidential data without realizing the fraud. But the perpetrators also use fake identities for spam e-mails, text messages, instant messaging or for phone calls, pretending to be, for example, the house bank or parcel service. All of this is always done under the pretext of being who theyclaim to be.
Another insidious scam is social engineering. In this case, the perpetrators also pretend to be someone they are not, but they play on the feelings of the person they are dealing with in order to obtain data, information or money.
