Legal Hub
Fraud types
Fifteen schemes grouped into six families. Each entry explains the mechanics, the law, and how people get drawn in.
Fraud families
Identity & Access
Money & Banking
Investment & Crypto
Work & Commerce
01 — Identity & Access
2 types
Synthetic Identity Fraud
The deliberate creation of fake or 'composite' identities — usually by combining a real person's Social Security number with a fabricated name, date of birth, and supporting documents — to open credit accounts, obtain loans, or access government benefits.
Identity Theft & Account Takeover
The theft of personal information — or the hijacking of an existing account — to impersonate a victim, drain accounts, open new credit, or file fraudulent claims. It usually begins with a breach, phishing, or SIM swapping rather than a stolen wallet.
02 — Money & Banking
4 types
Money Laundering & Money Mules
Helping criminals make 'dirty' money appear legitimate by moving it through accounts, businesses, or assets. This includes acting as a money mule, opening accounts for others, titling vehicles or property in your name, and structuring transactions to avoid detection.
Wire Fraud & Business Email Compromise
Using the banking system, wire transfers, email, or mail to defraud victims or financial institutions. It includes business email compromise (BEC), romance scams that end in wires, check fraud, and account takeovers.
Bank, Check & Payment Fraud
Fraud against the payment system itself: counterfeit and altered checks, check kiting, forged endorsements, and unauthorized electronic debits. It exploits the gap between when funds are credited and when they are actually collected.
Mortgage & Real Estate Fraud
Falsifying loan applications, using 'straw buyers' with clean credit to purchase property for someone else, occupancy fraud, and equity skimming that harms lenders and sometimes the recruited buyers themselves.
03 — Investment & Crypto
2 types
Investment, Ponzi & Securities Fraud
Promising high or guaranteed returns while using new investor money to pay earlier participants (a Ponzi), or making material misrepresentations about securities, crypto platforms, or private deals.
Crypto & Digital-Asset Fraud
Fraud built on cryptocurrency and other digital assets: fake exchanges and tokens, rug pulls, wallet-draining 'approvals,' and investment platforms that show fictional returns until the victim tries to withdraw.
04 — Public Programs
3 types
Healthcare & Insurance Fraud
False medical billing, staged accidents, upcoding, billing for services never rendered, and using synthetic or stolen identities to obtain life-insurance policies or file claims.
Government Benefits & Relief Fraud
Obtaining public benefits — relief loans, unemployment, housing, food, or disability — through false applications, stolen identities, or fabricated eligibility. Pandemic relief programs were hit especially hard.
Tax Refund Fraud
Filing false or stolen-identity tax returns to claim refunds, inflating credits, or diverting refunds through corrupt or 'ghost' preparers who vanish after filing.
05 — People & Trust
3 types
Elder Fraud
Fraud that targets older adults — by phone, mail, pop-ups, or a trusted 'helper' — exploiting loneliness, courtesy, and unfamiliarity with technology. It ranges from grandparent scams to tech-support and romance cons.
Romance & Confidence Fraud
A confidence scheme that builds a fake relationship or friendship — online or by phone — to manipulate the victim into sending money, gift cards, or crypto. It frequently escalates into investment fraud.
Charitable & Disaster Fraud
Soliciting donations for fake or sham charities, or diverting funds from real ones, especially after disasters and high-profile events when donors are eager to help.
06 — Work & Commerce
1 type