Fraud: meaning, definitions and examples

Used in formal or legal contexts to describe serious crimes involving trickery or deceit, often for personal or financial gain.

• The company faced charges of accounting fraud.
• He was convicted of credit card fraud.

Generally used to describe the act of misleading or deceiving someone, not necessarily in a criminal sense. Can be used in everyday situations.

• Her deception was uncovered during the meeting.
• He used deception to cover his mistakes at work.

Often used in casual conversations to describe a dishonest scheme intended to con people, usually small-scale and involving quick money-making.

• She realized it was a scam when she didn't receive the product she paid for.
• That online job offer turned out to be a scam.

Used to describe a dishonest action that cheats someone out of money or property, often using clever tricks or manipulation. Has a slightly old-fashioned tone.

• He swindled elderly people out of their savings.
• The businessman was accused of swindling his investors.

This is used when referring to serious crimes involving deception, often in financial or business contexts.

• He was convicted of fraud for forging documents.
• The company was involved in a massive fraud scheme.

This is used to describe acts of lying or misleading someone, often in a more personal or emotional context.

• Her deceit shattered our trust.
• He used deceit to gain her sympathy.

This is used to describe the use of tricks to deceive someone, often in a cunning or clever way, and sometimes applied in lighter, less serious situations.

• She used trickery to win the game.
• His magic show was full of clever trickery.

This is used to describe the quality or state of being fraudulent, usually applied to actions or behavior in legal or formal contexts.

• The fraudulence of his actions was evident to all.
• They investigated the fraudulence in the election.