Fraud and Financial Crimes
Fraud and financial crimes are a form of theft/larceny that occur when a person or entity takes money or property, or uses them in an illicit manner, with the intent to gain a benefit from it. These crimes typically involve some form of deceit, subterfuge or the abuse of a position of trust, which distinguishes them from common theft or robbery. In today's complex economy, fraud and financial crimes can take many forms. The resources below will introduce you to the more common forms of financial crimes, such as forgery, credit card fraud, embezzlement and money laundering.
- Bribery
Learn more about bribery and read federal and state statutes.
- Fraud
Find out what constitutes fraud and what laws govern it.
- Forgery
Forgery typically involves the falsification of contracts, wills, id cards or other legal documents.
- Embezzlement
Embezzlement occurs when a person steals money or property they have been entrusted to manage.
- Credit / Debit Card Fraud
Examines how misuse of a credit or debit card can constitute fraud.
- Identity Theft
Learn more about the laws around identity theft.
- Insurance Fraud
False or inflated insurance claims can lead to allegations of insurance fraud.
- Money Laundering
Money laundering involves the movement of illicit gains into legitimate channels in order to disguise the money's source.
- Mortgage Fraud
Mortgage fraud refers to a number of fraudulent activities that involve the falsification of mortgage materials.
- Pyramid Schemes
Pyramid schemes work by recruiting more investors to the scheme, but fall apart when new investors become scarce.
- Racketeering / RICO
Racketeering laws prevent the investment of money gained through criminal activities in any enterprise that affects interstate commerce.
- Securities Fraud
The provision or use of false or priviliged information in the purchase or sale of securities could result in securities fraud allegations.
- Tax Evasion / Fraud
As you might expect, there are several laws prohibiting lying or cheating on your taxes.
- Telemarketing Fraud
Telemarketing calls are usually annoying, but some can be fraudulent as well.
- White Collar Crimes
This category of crime encompasses many separate individual crimes, such as Ponzi schemes, securities fraud and embezzlement.
- Wire Fraud
Wire fraud occurs over communications channels, and is primarily a federal crime.