Oakland Fraud Lawyers

• Embezzlement – This occurs when a person misappropriates personal property (often money) that they were entrusted with. Some examples include pocketing company cash or purchasing personal items with company funds.
• Mail or Wire Fraud – Mail fraud and wire fraud are federal offenses. These crimes occur when a person uses the phone, social media, email, or other electronic means (wire fraud) or the U.S. mail (mail fraud) to defraud another party.  Some examples of wire fraud include phishing scams and an example of mail fraud would be sending documents through mail in an attempt to solicit sensitive information or falsifying addresses to carry out a fraud scheme.
• Accounting Fraud – This type of fraud includes altering financial statements of a company or business in an attempt to hide profits or losses. Sometimes referred to as ‘cooking the books,’ an example of accounting fraud would be an accountant electing to leave out expenses or overstating their revenues.
• Cyber Fraud – The use of computers or the internet to steal, alter, or gain access to unauthorized data or to use another person’s identity on the internet for illegal purposes is a crime under Penal Code section 530.5. An example of computer fraud would be hacking into a computer system to gain access to personal information.
• Tax Fraud – Deliberately attempting to evade taxes or defraud the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is a federal offense. An example of tax fraud is lying about your income in an attempt to reduce tax payments.
• Mortgage Fraud  or Real Estate Fraud– Attempting to lie or omit information used by a lender to determine mortgage loan eligibility and rates. An example of mortgage fraud could be falsification about income or assets. Under Penal Code §532f anyone involved in a mortgage transaction can be charged with fraud from the lender to the borrower and the loan processors.
• Bank Fraud – Defrauding a financial institution in an attempt to gain access to money, assets, or other property held by the bank is a federal offense. Examples of bank fraud include skimming ATM machines and writing fraudulent checks.
• Money Laundering – Concealing the origin of money obtained from illegal activities is a crime under Penal Code §186.10. An example would be a person who sells drugs disguising the money they made by saying they were profits from a business they own.
• Social Security Fraud – Knowingly providing false information or evidence in attempt to gain benefit for a social security claim is a federal crime. A common example would be a person applying for social security benefits while working another job and claiming they do not have any source of income.
• Bribery – Giving, receiving, offering, or soliciting something of value to influence the conduct of a person in a position of power. An example of bribery would be offering a police officer money so they do not write them a ticket.
• Workers’ Compensation Fraud – Falsifying injury information by an employee or an employer in an attempt to receive workers compensation. An example would be someone saying they were injured at work and attempting to receive workers compensation from the insurance company when the injury actually occurred elsewhere and was not work related.
• Conspiracy to Commit Fraud – When two or more people create a plan or take steps to commit fraud they engage in a conspiracy. An example of conspiracy to commit fraud would be two people sending emails about how they plan to defraud a financial institution.
• Forgery – The process of producing a copy or forging a document, signature, or a number of other items. An example of forgery would be falsifying a doctor’s signature on a prescription to obtain access to medication. 
• Perjury – The act of lying in an official setting under oath. An example would be a witness knowingly lying about a question or issue in court while sworn to tell the truth.
• Auto Insurance Fraud: This type of fraud occurs when an individual knowingly makes a false insurance claim or makes a false statement to an insurance company in an effort to obtain benefits. An example of auto insurance fraud would be securing insurance after an accident occurred and then telling the insurance company that the accident occurred on a different day after coverage began in order to file a claim and receive a payout for the damages.
• Welfare Fraud: Welfare fraud occurs when a person provides false information that leads to the assignment of welfare benefits that they are not entitled to. Another example of welfare fraud is when government employees approve benefits for individuals who are not eligible to receive them.
• Elder Fraud: Financial abuse of an elder, an individual age 65 or older, resulting in the theft or embezzlement of money or property is a crime under Penal Code §368. An example of elder fraud includes illegally gaining access to their funds or even misappropriating funds that were entrusted to you like using the elder’s grocery or medication money to buy yourself dinner or go to the movies.

Fraud is a broad crime that encompasses countless activities and the above list is not an exhaustive list of all the fraud crimes in California. If you have been charged with any of the violations listed above, or any other form of fraud, it is important that you speak with a fraud lawyer in Oakland. Contact The Nieves Law Firm today to schedule a free consultation with a member of our team and learn more about the specific charges you are facing.