A stranger may pay less for stolen personal information than a cup of coffee costs, yet that bargain can create an expensive mess for its victim. Stolen data can help criminals impersonate consumers, target their bank accounts, open fraudulent credit accounts, or make convincing scams easier to pull off.
The unsettling part is how ordinary the information can look. A name, email address, phone number, birth date, or Social Security number might seem harmless on its own. Put enough pieces together, however, and criminals gain a much better shot at impersonating someone who has spent years building a financial life.
