Which act constitutes felony criminal impersonation?

• A. Impersonating a physician and ordering a prescription to a pharmacist.
• B. Impersonating a private citizen on social media.
• C. Impersonating a public servant to solicit funds.
• D. Impersonating a business by creating a fake company.

Answer: (A)

Criminal impersonation is about pretending to be someone else to deceive another person or entity, and doing so in a way that carries serious consequences can be charged as a felony. When the impersonation involves a licensed professional and is used to obtain something through deception, it becomes a clear, high-risk form of fraud.

Impersonating a physician and ordering a prescription to a pharmacist fits this pattern exactly. A physician holds a trusted, licensed role. Assuming that identity to get prescription drugs through a pharmacist is deception aimed at illicit drug access, which the law treats as a serious offense—typically a felony—because of the potential harm to individuals and the public.

The other scenarios involve impersonation in less clear-cut or less severe contexts: posing as a private citizen on social media is generally not a felony by itself; impersonating a public servant to solicit funds could be illegal but often depends on additional factors and statutes; impersonating a business by creating a fake company is fraud-related but focused on misrepresenting a business, not the direct impersonation of a person in a trusted professional role to obtain prescription drugs.