In identity theft, what does social engineering refer to?

Social engineering is a technique that relies on psychological manipulation to influence individuals into divulging confidential or personal information. This form of fraud exploits human emotions and social interactions rather than technical vulnerabilities. Fraudsters often use tactics such as impersonating trustworthy figures, creating urgency, or appealing to emotions to trick victims into providing sensitive information, such as passwords, Social Security numbers, or bank details.

This approach reveals how identity theft often hinges on the ability of the perpetrator to manipulate individuals rather than simply relying on technical methods or hacking tools. While options mentioning hacking, monitoring software, or malicious websites indicate methods of exploitation, they do not accurately define social engineering itself, which is fundamentally about influencing people's behavior and decisions through deceitful tactics.