Fraud is a general term for a variety of similar crimes involving the use of deception to acquire something that does not rightfully belong to you. In some cases, acquiring the thing may simply mean gaining access to its use. Fraud charges are prosecuted quite aggressively, often in Federal Court. What this means is that if you have been charged with fraud, you need an attorney who has experience defending against federal criminal charges. Boulder fraud defense attorney, Steven Louth has helped a number of Coloradans who have been charged with economic crime in federal court. He is familiar with the different set of procedures, and the process of both prosecution and defense in these serious cases. There are many different types of fraud, each of which is likely to have its own set of circumstances, and each of which requires a slightly different strategy to defend. In general, fraud charges are complicated, partly because the nature of the crime is such that the prosecution needs to demonstrate that the accused was deceitful in dealing with the victims. Additionally, because these charges generally involve stolen or misappropriated money, both prosecuting and defending often involves extremely complex accounting to try to track the flow of money that someone probably tried very hard to hide.
Types of Fraud
Some of the more common types of fraud include:
Credit Card Fraud
Falsifying information on a credit card application in order to be issued credit, or in order to be issued a higher line of credit might be considered credit card fraud. Additionally, using another person's personal information on a credit card application could be considered credit card fraud, as well as identity theft.
Insurance Fraud
Falsifying information on an otherwise valid insurance claim in order to get more money than the claim is truly worth could be considered insurance fraud. For example, after a car accident, it would be fraudulent to include previously existing damage to the car on a new claim.
Perhaps more importantly, insuring property with the intention of destroying it in order to collect on the insurance is insurance fraud. These cases tend to be prosecuted quite vigorously.
Healthcare Fraud
Healthcare fraud involves filing claims for healthcare services for a profit. In many cases, the crime involves the complicity of a healthcare professional.
Identity Theft
Identity Theft is the use of another person's personal information in order to gain something. The object is not always financial, and is generally involved in conjunction with some other form of fraud. Common examples involve using other people's identity to be extended credit, to hide one's own identity, or to get something that the person is not entitled to.
Forgery
Forgery is falsifying a document or object in order to create the appearance of value. The most common examples would be signing another person's name to a check or other financial document for one's own benefit, and creating a copy of a valuable work of art in order to fool someone.
Protect Your Rights, Contact a Fraud Defense Lawyer Today
If you have been charged with any type of fraud, or if you believe that you are under investigation, contact the dedicated Boulder fraud defense attorneys at Steven Louth Law Offices immediately. These charges are very serious, with the possibility of significant prison time, as well as financial consequences. When it comes to protecting your own rights, the sooner you begin the better. If you believe that you are being investigated for fraud, whether you believe yourself to be innocent or guilty, don't wait to be arrested. Contact Boulder criminal defense lawyer Steven Louth today. He can ensure that investigators observe and respect your rights, which can go a long way to preserving your innocence should you end up at trial. For more information and a FREE CASE EVALUATION, contact Steven Louth Law Offices at (303)442-2297.