Image of Fraud

Fraud

Topic

Identified as a major focus for the administration, with an estimated trillion dollars a year lost. The plan is to use technology and inter-departmental cooperation to attack fraud in government programs.


First Mentioned

1/9/2026, 4:44:54 AM

Last Updated

1/9/2026, 4:46:07 AM

Research Retrieved

1/9/2026, 4:46:07 AM

Summary

Fraud is a legal concept defined as intentional deception used to deprive a victim of a legal right or to achieve unlawful or unfair gain. It encompasses both civil law, where victims seek monetary compensation, and criminal law, which can lead to imprisonment. Common forms include mortgage fraud, accounting fraud, and identity theft. In the United States, the Trump administration, as articulated by Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick, has prioritized a 'war on fraud' within government programs. This initiative aims to reclaim approximately $1 trillion annually to fund Social Security and other national priorities without reducing benefits. Despite its prevalence—accounting for 40% of reported crimes in the UK—fraud remains a significantly under-reported offense globally.

Referenced in 1 Document
Research Data
Extracted Attributes
  • Common Types

    Mortgage fraud, accounting fraud, identity theft, phishing, and card skimming.

  • Reporting Rate

    Estimated 1 in 8 incidents are reported to police in the UK.

  • Legal Definition

    Intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly.

  • Legal Jurisdictions

    Civil law (compensation) and Criminal law (prosecution).

  • Prevalence in UK Crime

    40% of all crimes reported by victims.

  • Estimated Annual US Government Fraud Loss

    $1,000,000,000,000 (1 trillion dollars) as estimated by Howard Lutnick.

  • High-Value Penalty Threshold (California)

    Losses of $500,000 or more result in an additional 2 to 5 years of imprisonment.

Timeline
  • The U.S. government's fraud review concludes that fraud is a significantly under-reported crime requiring greater public sector cooperation. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2006-01-01

  • A study finds the majority of online fraud in the United Kingdom is perpetrated by industrial-scale scamming call centers in Asia. (Source: Wikipedia)

    2022-01-01

  • The ACFE releases the 'Occupational Fraud 2024: A Report to the Nations' detailing global fraud trends. (Source: Web Search (ACFE))

    2024-01-01

  • Projected date for the Trump Administration to achieve 5-6% GDP growth, supported in part by reclaiming revenue from government fraud. (Source: Document bd9e52ad-b427-4759-a3de-cdaa5cd4d3e7)

    2026-01-01

Fraud

In law, fraud is intentional deception to deprive a victim of a legal right or to gain from a victim unlawfully or unfairly. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to thwart the fraud or recover monetary compensation) or criminal law (e.g., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities), or it may be an element of another civil or criminal wrong despite itself causing no loss of money, property, or legal right. The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, such as obtaining a passport, travel document, or driver's licence. In cases of mortgage fraud, the perpetrator attempts to qualify for a mortgage by way of false statements.

Web Search Results
  • Fraud - Wikipedia

    The proof requirements for criminal fraud charges in the United States are essentially the same as the requirements for other crimes: guilt must be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Throughout the United States fraud charges can be misdemeanours or felonies depending on the amount of loss involved. High-value fraud can also trigger additional penalties. For example, in California, losses of $500,000 or more will result in an extra two, three, or five years in prison in addition to the regular penalty for the fraud. The U.S. government's 2006 fraud review concluded that fraud is a significantly under-reported crime, and while various agencies and organizations were attempting to tackle the issue, greater cooperation was needed to achieve a real impact in the public sector. The scale of the [...] 1. Those who commit fraud involving a "relatively large amount" of public or private property shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, or injunction control with community correction, and may additionally or solely be fined. 2. If the amount involved is "large" or there are other serious circumstances, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than ten years and shall also be fined. 3. If the amount involved is "particularly large" or there are other particularly serious circumstances, the offender shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of over ten years or life imprisonment and shall also be fined or have their property confiscated. [...] Fraud is the most common crime experienced in the UK. While it is estimated that only one in eight incidents are reported to police, fraud consistently accounts for around 40% of all crimes reported by victims in the Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW). In 2022, the majority of online fraud in the United Kingdom was found to be perpetrated by industrial-scale scamming call centres in Asia.

  • What is fraud prevention and how does it help protect your business?

    By incorporating these essential components into their fraud prevention efforts, organizations can strengthen their defenses against fraudulent activities and protect their assets, reputation, and stakeholders’ trust. At Fraud.com, we are committed to helping organizations develop and implement effective fraud prevention strategies tailored to their unique needs and challenges. ## Types of fraud There are various types of fraud that affect businesses and individuals, but some of the most common types include: ### 1. Accounting fraud [...] Fraud prevention is crucial to protect yourself and your business from potential scams and fraudulent activities. By following these tips and best practices, you can minimize the risk of falling victim to fraudulent schemes: [...] Fraudulent activities come in various forms, ranging from all types of financial fraud such as account takeover fraud to identity theft, phishing, and card skimming. These schemes can lead to significant financial losses and irreparable damage to a company’s reputation. However, with a robust fraud prevention approach in place, businesses can proactively protect themselves and their customers. By implementing anti-fraud policies and procedures, companies can establish a framework for identifying and addressing potential threats. Furthermore, leveraging advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning enables businesses to analyze vast amounts of data, detecting patterns and anomalies indicative of fraudulent activity.

  • Types of financial fraud & their definitions - Alloy

    Account takeover fraud (ATO) Accounting fraud ACH fraud Advance fee fraud Artificial intelligence (AI) fraud Authorized push payment (APP) fraud Bank fraud Biometric spoofing Bust-out fraud Card-not-present (CNP) fraud Chargeback fraud Check fraud Credit card fraud Deepfakes Embezzlement Financial grooming scam First-party fraud Fraud model Fraud ring Fraud ring attack Fraudster High-velocity fraud attack Identity theft Internal fraud Investment fraud Invoice and mandate scams Money laundering Money muling Peer-to-peer (P2P) payments fraud Phishing Pump and dump Purchase scams Referral fraud Romance scam Second-party fraud Shell company Smishing (SMS phishing) Social engineering Step-up verification Synthetic fraud (first party/third party) [...] #### Bust-out fraud Bust-out fraud is a scheme where a fraudster applies for a financial service (such as a credit card account) and establishes a normal spending pattern with small purchases. The fraudster takes the time to build up their repayment history until one day, they max out the credit line without any intention of paying back the balance. First-party bust-out fraud occurs when a bad actor does this under their own name, whereas third-party bust-out fraud involves synthetic or stolen identities. In this case, the impact of bust-out fraud may significantly damage their victims’ good credit score, resulting in reduced credit limits, account closures, and difficulty securing new lines of credit. #### Card-not-present (CNP) fraud [...] #### Check fraud A type of fraud that occurs when a bad actor illegally alters or creates checks to withdraw funds from another person's account or steals a legitimate check to obtain sensitive account information or deposit the check. Forms of check fraud include check kiting (which exploits the time it takes banks to clear checks by writing checks between accounts with insufficient funds) and check washing (where a fraudster chemically removes ink from a check to rewrite the payee and amount). Learn more about check fraud here. #### Credit card fraud The unauthorized use of someone else's credit card information to make purchases or withdraw funds. #### Deepfakes

  • Fraud 101: What is Fraud? - ACFE

    ### External organizational fraud This includes fraud committed against an organization from the outside, such as vendors who lie about the work they did, demand bribes from employees and rig costs. But customers sometimes defraud organizations, such as when they submit bad checks or try to return knock-off or stolen products. And increasingly, technology threatens organizations with theft of intellectual property or customer information. ## Occupational Fraud 2024: A Report to the Nations Discover trends, benchmark your prevention and detection efforts, and find out who puts your organization most at risk in the latest biennial report on the state of fraud worldwide. Read the Report Back to top [...] Together, Reducing Fraud Worldwide About the ACFE Contact Us Sign In Sign In Search “” # Fraud 101: What Is Fraud? It’s both simpler and more complicated than you think. Fraud 101: What is Fraud Defining Fraud Why Do People Commit Fraud? The Fraud Tree Categories of Fraud ## What Is Fraud, Anyway? “Fraud” is any activity that relies on deception in order to achieve a gain. Fraud becomes a crime when it is a “knowing misrepresentation of the truth or concealment of a material fact to induce another to act to his or her detriment” (Black’s Law Dictionary). In other words, if you lie in order to deprive a person or organization of their money or property, you’re committing fraud. ## Why Do People Commit Fraud? [...] > When the trust violators were asked to explain why they refrained from violation of other positions of trust they might have held at previous times, or why they had not violated the subject position at an earlier time, those who had an opinion expressed the equivalent of one or more of the following quotations: (a) ‘There was no need for it like there was this time.’ (b) ‘The idea never entered my head.’ (c) ‘I thought it was dishonest then, but this time it did not seem dishonest at first.’ ### Helpful Resources Fraud Resources Tools & Guides Reports & Statistics Fraud Risk Tools Videos Podcasts ### Become an ACFE Member When you join the ACFE, you join a global community of experts who are uncovering and preventing fraud across every industry. About ACFE Membership

  • Consumer Fraud Awareness and Prevention - OCC.gov

    Credit Card and Debit Card Fraud This fraud involves the unauthorized use of a person’s credit card or debit card to make purchases or withdrawals. Debt Collection Fraud In this type of fraud, scammers impersonate legitimate debt collectors to scare consumers into paying debts that may not exist. Elder Financial Exploitation Elder financial exploitation involves the theft or misuse of an older adult’s money, assets, or personal information. Financial and Investment Fraud This fraud involves deceitful practices to lure individuals into fake investments, often by promising returns that are too good to be true. Holiday and Gift Card Scams

Location Data

OLAF, Rue Joseph II - Jozef II-straat, Bruxelles - Brussel, Brussel-Hoofdstad - Bruxelles-Capitale, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale - Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest, 1000, België / Belgique / Belgien

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Coordinates: 50.8463614, 4.3712805

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