All of the following statements about identity theft are true EXCEPT which one?

• A. A One way to conceal identity theft is to change the victim's mailing address.
• B. B Solicitations for pre-approved credit cards are especially valuable to identity thieves.
• C. C The type of malware most commonly associated with identity theft is ransomware.
• D. D Identity thieves often engage in pretexting by impersonating the victim's bank.

Answer: (C)

Identity theft relies on a mix of social engineering, account access, and data harvesting, not primarily on ransomware. The tactic of changing the victim’s mailing address helps thieves intercept statements and conceal activity, which is a known concealment method. Receiving pre-approved credit card offers gives thieves a ready path to apply for new accounts using stolen information. Impersonating the victim’s bank is a classic pretexting technique to elicit sensitive data directly from the target.

Ransomware, on the other hand, is about encrypting a victim’s data and demanding payment to restore access. While data breaches can expose personal information, ransomware is not the malware type most closely associated with stealing identity information directly. The statement about ransomware being the most common malware in identity theft is the exception.