# What is Impersonation?
Source: https://arsen.co/en/resources/impersonation
Summary: Impersonation is when fraud actors pose as account holders or officials via phone, email, or in-person to bypass identity verification controls.

**Impersonation appears under the Defense Evasion tactic in the [MITRE F3 Framework](https://ctid.mitre.org/fraud). It is one of the most direct social engineering techniques in the F3 matrix: the attacker claims to be someone the target trusts.**

## Sub-techniques

| Sub-technique | Who the attacker pretends to be | Primary target |
|---|---|---|
| Account Holder Impersonation | The bank's own customer | Bank staff, contact centre agents |
| Official Impersonation | Bank representative, law enforcement, government agent | Customers, account holders |

## How does Account Holder Impersonation work?

Fraud actors use stolen personal information (name, date of birth, partial account number) to answer security questions and pass knowledge-based authentication (KBA) checks. Combined with [phone number spoofing](https://arsen.co/en/resources/phone-number-spoofing) of the victim's own number, the attacker appears to be calling from a recognised customer's phone.

The goal: convince bank staff to grant access, reset credentials, change account details, or authorise a transaction.

## How does Official Impersonation work?

Here the roles reverse. The attacker calls the *customer*, posing as a bank fraud investigator, law enforcement officer, or government official. The authority and urgency of the claimed role pressure the victim into disclosing credentials, approving transactions, or transferring funds.

[Vishing](https://arsen.co/en/resources/vishing) is the primary channel. Caller ID spoofing of official numbers ([phone number spoofing](https://arsen.co/en/resources/phone-number-spoofing)) makes the call appear genuine.

## Key takeaways

- Impersonation in MITRE F3 has two sub-techniques: Account Holder and Official impersonation.
- Account Holder Impersonation targets bank staff; Official Impersonation targets customers.
- Stolen personal data (often from [phishing](https://arsen.co/en/resources/phishing) or data breaches) enables convincing knowledge-based authentication bypass.
- Authority, urgency, and caller ID spoofing are the primary levers in Official Impersonation.
- Both contact centre staff and customers need targeted training to recognise and resist impersonation attacks.
	

## What is MITRE Fight Fraud Framework™ (F3)?

The MITRE Fight Fraud Framework (F3) is a curated knowledge base of tactics, techniques, and sub-techniques used by fraud actors in cyber-based financial fraud incidents. Developed by MITRE's Center for Threat-Informed Defense in collaboration with FS-ISAC, JPMorganChase, and Lloyds Banking Group, it provides a common language for fraud-fusion teams to describe, detect, and prevent financial fraud. F3 is modeled after MITRE ATT&CK® and focuses on banking institutions as its initial scope. 

[Explore the F3 Matrix](https://ctid.mitre.org/fraud)