Business transactions must be conducted with good intentions and without deception for them to be legal in most cases. It’s very common for people in business to be accused of white collar crimes such as fraud or forgery.
If you have been accused of one of these crimes, you should make sure that you understand the nature of the accusation and the elements of the crime. You may also be confused about the difference between fraud and forgery. The following is a brief overview of these two terms, and an explanation of how they differ from one another.
What is fraud?
Fraud is an umbrella term for a variety of more specific crimes. It refers to the act of dishonesty for personal or financial gain. The act always includes misrepresentation, deceit or a false statement. The elements of fraud include the intent to deceive and the suffering of damages by a victim who relies on this misinformation to make a decision.
What is forgery?
Forgery is, in fact, a type of fraud that falls under the umbrella of many different fraudulent acts. Forgery is concerned with an object such as a false document, signature or a commercial good. The person being charged with forgery must have known that the object in question was not genuine to be guilty of the crime. When consumer goods are forged, this is usually referred to as counterfeiting.
If you have been accused of forgery or fraud in general in a business context, you should take this very seriously. The simple act of being accused of these crimes could ruin your reputation, so you should engage in an aggressive defense.