Fraud: Meaning (information, definition, explanation, facts)

Fraud is the crime or offense of deliberately deceiving another in order to damage them -- usually, to obtain property or services from him unjustly. [1]. Fraud can be committed through many methods, including mail, wire, phone, and the Internet.

Forms of criminal fraud include:

• confidence tricks such as the 419 fraud, Spanish Prisoner, and the shell game;
• false advertising;
• identity theft;
• false billing;
• forgery of documents or signatures;
• taking money which is under your control, but not yours (embezzlement)
• the selling of products of spurious use, such as quack medicines;
• creation of false companies or "long firms";
• false insurance claims; and
• securities frauds such as pump and dump.

Fraud is also a type of civil law violation known as a tort. A tort is a wrong for which the injured party may bring a suit in court for damages in the form of monetary compensation. A civil fraud typically involves the act of making a false representation of a fact susceptible of actual knowledge which is relied upon by another to his or her detriment.

Known fraudsters and various forms of fraud

• Frank Abagnale, US impostor who wrote bad checks
• Ivan Boesky, inside trader in the 1980s
• Cassie Chadwick, who pretended to be Andrew Carnegie's daughter to get loans
• Anthony Di Angelis, "the Salad Oil King"
• William Duer, embezzled $238.000 from US Treasury Department in the 1790s
• Ivan Kreuger “The Match King”
• Dennis Levine
• Gregor MacGregor, Scottish conman who tried to attract investment and settlers for a non-existent country of Poyais
• Robert Maxwell, UK newspaper tycoon who milked his companies dry
• Gaston Means
• Michael Milken, "The Junk Bond King"
• Barry Minkow and the ZZZZ Best
• Frederick Emerson Peters, US impersonator who wrote bad checks
• Charles Ponzi, namesake of Ponzi scheme
• Christopher Rocancourt who defrauded Hollywood celebrities
• Serge Rubinstein, Russian-born diamond swindler
• Richard Whitney, stole from Stock Exchange Gratuity Fund in 1930s
• Robert Vesco, US fugitive financier