What is Fraud and How Can a lawyer Help?

Have you been charged with a commercial or white-collar crime such as fraud?

What is fraud?

The most basic fraud definition involves a criminal deception for financial or personal gain.

Many commercial crimes are crimes of opportunity committed by people in positions of trust. These crimes involve a “breach of trust.”

If you are facing fraud charges, or being investigated by police in relation to an incident of fraud, you need to speak with a fraud lawyer right away.

Trying to explain your actions, including an honest mistake, may get you in more trouble.  It is best to let a lawyer do the talking for you.

Types of fraud and commercial crime

Several specific criminal offences fall within the broader category of fraud or commercial crime.

You should contact a lawyer right away if you are being investigated in association with any of the following:

  • Corporate crime, which is a crime committed by a corporation or by a person or people acting on behalf of the corporation (generally the directors or officers or the corporation)
  • Bribery, which involves giving or offering money or favours to a person in a position of trust in order to influence that person’s conduct
  • Insider trading, which occurs when a person uses confidential information to trade stocks for their own personal gain
  • Theft by person in a special relationship, which occurs when a person takes money or property that they hold in trust for another person and uses it for their own personal gain
  • Computer and internet crime, which involves any criminal offence committed using a computer or the internet. This includes hacking and the possession and distribution of child pornography
  • Money laundering, which involves making proceeds of crime appear to have come from a legal source
  • Identity theft, which involves the fraudulent use of someone else’s identifying information for personal gain
  • Forgery, which involves fraudulently producing a copy of a financial document, signature or work of art for financial gain
  • Breach of trust, which occurs when a person in a position of trust (a trustee) breaches that trust or abuses their power.

The law relating to these crimes can be complex.  You don’t want to try to deal with this alone.  An experienced fraud attorney can help.

Are you facing fraud charges?

If you are being investigated for fraud, you don’t want to try to outsmart the investigator.

The earlier you contact a fraud lawyer, the more your lawyer will be able to do to help you.

When a large amount of money goes missing, people are quick to find someone to blame.

Don’t take the fall for something you didn’t do.

Contact an experienced criminal defence fraud attorney as soon as possible.

Your lawyer will do everything possible to protect you.

If you have already been charged with fraud or a related crime, you are facing potentially serious consequences.

Commercial crimes often involve a breach of a position of trust.  Individuals convicted of crimes involving a breach of trust often face lengthy jail sentences, in addition to the other consequences of conviction.

What your Lawyer can do to help

Experienced criminal fraud lawyers will help you by:

  • Telling you how to conduct yourself if you are questioned by the authorities, whether they are the police or internal company investigators.
  • Speaking for you.  Even if you think you made an honest mistake, let your lawyer explain that for you.  You might be misunderstood and end up in even greater trouble with police or investigators.
  • Analyzing the evidence and following the paper trail.  Fraud often involves complex financial issues.
  • If necessary, your lawyer will retain a forensic accountant or other professionals to assist with your defence.
  • Preparing for and conducting your trial, if necessary.

Why you need a fraud lawyer

  • Being charged with any crime is extremely stressful.
  • Being charged with fraud or a related commercial crime can be overwhelming due to the complex financial issues involved.
  • The potential consequences of conviction are too severe to contemplate dealing with this situation on your own.
  • You have too much at risk.
  • An experienced criminal attorney will help you to get the best possible results in your circumstances.  Call a lawyer right away.

Financial crimes, also known as “white collar” crimes, involve allegations of impropriety with money or business practices.

They range from the smallest fraud to multimillion dollar Ponzi schemes. The most common examples of financial crimes are tax evasion; fraud, and money laundering.

These cases are complex, because they are based on documentary evidence, and often require specialized interpretation by forensic accountants, business valuators, and other professionals.

The investigating agencies are usually powerful and well-funded, such as the Serious Fraud Office (SFO)

We will develop a team that can understand every nuance of your business and the government’s investigation, and prepare an effective strategy to win your case.

We have many years of experience in this area.

We will work with you, often before charges are even laid, to negotiate with government agencies, advise you on how to position yourself and your business to avoid prosecution, and how to deal with issues such as search warrants and asset seizures. We will also scrutinize the conduct of the authorities to ensure that your rights are respected and seek the strongest remedies possible if they are not.