Fraud

==Types of fraud==
[[Image:Workathomead.jpg|thumb|An advertisement for possibly fraudulent "[[work-at-home scheme]]"]]

The falsification of documents, known as [[forgery]], and counterfeiting are types of fraud involved in physical duplication or fabrication. The "theft" of one's personal information or identity, like one finding out another's social security number and then using it as identification, is a type of fraud. Fraud can be committed through and across many media including [[Mail and wire fraud|mail]], [[Mail and wire fraud|wire]], [[phone fraud|phone]], and the [[Internet]] ([[computer crime]] and [[Internet fraud]]).

Given the international nature of the web and ease with which users can hide their location, obstacles to checking identity and legitimacy online, and the variety of hacker techniques available to gain access to [[Personal identifying information|PII]] have all contributed to the very rapid growth of Internet fraud.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Richet|first=Jean-Loup|date=2022|title=How cybercriminal communities grow and change: An investigation of ad-fraud communities|journal=Technological Forecasting and Social Change|volume=174|issue=121282|page=121282|doi=10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121282|s2cid=239962449|issn=0040-1625|doi-access=free}}</ref>  In some countries, tax fraud is also prosecuted under false billing or tax forgery.<ref>"Tax Fraud and the Problem of a Constitutionality Acceptable Definition of Religion". BJ Casino. ''American Criminal Law. Rev.'', 1987</ref> There have also been fraudulent "discoveries", e.g., [[scientific misconduct|science]], where the appetite is for prestige rather than immediate monetary gain.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Müller|first1=M. J.|last2=Landsberg|first2=B.|last3=Ried|first3=J.|date=April 2014|title=Fraud in science: a plea for a new culture in research|journal=European Journal of Clinical Nutrition|language=en|volume=68|issue=4|pages=411–415|doi=10.1038/ejcn.2014.17|pmid=24690631|issn=1476-5640|doi-access=free}}</ref>

A [[hoax]] is a distinct concept that involves deliberate deception without the intention of gain or of materially damaging or depriving a victim.

=== Internal fraud ===

Internal fraud, also known as "insider fraud", is fraud committed or attempted by someone within an organisation such as an employee.<ref>Barclays Corporate, "[https://www.barclayscorporate.com/insights/fraud-protection/internal-fraud/ The growing threat of internal fraud]". {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221106160255/https://www.barclayscorporate.com/insights/fraud-protection/internal-fraud/ |date=6 November 2022 }}, accessed 6 November 2022.</ref>

=== Commodities fraud ===
The illegal act of obtaining (or the attempt of obtaining) a certain amount of [[currency]] in accordance with a [[contract]] that promises the later [[Trade|exchange]] of equated [[asset]]s, which ultimately never arrive, is a type of fraud, known as commodities fraud.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Commodities fraud {{!}} Definition, History, & Examples  |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/commodities-fraud |access-date=2022-12-17 |website=Britannica |first1=Michael |last1=McGregor |language=en |archive-date=17 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221217204141/https://www.britannica.com/topic/commodities-fraud |url-status=live }}</ref> Alternatively, the term can relate to: the failure of registering in an exchange; the act of deliberately providing falsified information to clients; the action of executing [[Trade|transactions]] with the sole purpose of making a profit for the [[payee]]; the theft of [[Funding|client funds]].<ref name=":0" />{{Better source needed|reason=The current source is insufficiently reliable ([[WP:NOTRS]]).|date=December 2022}}