Impersonation

Impersonation is the act of presenting oneself as another person, usually by adopting their identity or role. It can be performed for entertainment, deception, fraud, or unauthorized access.

Social engineering: The manipulation of people into revealing information or taking actions that compromise security. Impersonators use persuasion and fabricated identities to make targets cooperate.
Impersonation fraud: Fraud in which someone pretends to be another person to obtain money, information, or services. This is impersonation used directly for illicit gain.
Parody: A work that imitates another work or style for comic or critical effect. Parody signals its imitation as commentary rather than a claim to be the original person.
Reputation management: The practice of monitoring and shaping how a person or organization is perceived. Victims may need to correct false statements or actions attributed to them.
Identity theft: The unauthorized acquisition or use of another person’s identifying information. Impersonation can turn stolen identity details into apparent proof of who someone is.
Catfishing: Deceptive online relationship-building under a fabricated identity. Catfishing uses sustained impersonation to create false intimacy or trust.
Doubles (theater): Actors who perform the same role in a production, often on different occasions. Role substitution is authorized and does not misrepresent an actor’s identity outside the production.
Data breach: An incident in which sensitive, protected, or confidential information is accessed or disclosed without authorization. Impersonation can obtain credentials or information that leads to a breach.
Phishing: A deceptive attempt to obtain sensitive information by posing as a trusted person or organization. A phishing message impersonates a trusted sender to prompt disclosure or action.
Account takeover: Unauthorized control of another person’s online account. An impersonator may use a compromised account to act with its owner’s apparent authority.

Linked from 19 pages