HOUSTON FRAUD & FORGERY ATTORNEY

FRAUD/FORGERY

In Texas, fraud means obtaining property or money by subversive means. Using stolen credit card information or falsifying credit applications is considered fraudulent behavior. Investigators will build a case against you by monitoring purchases, getting copies of checks signed by your hand, and tracking your IP address.

Fraud is a very serious crime and often charged as a felony. Samuel M. Gardner is a criminal lawyer in Houston, TX who can help you understand the consequences of fraud and what you can do to defend yourself.

TYPES OF FRAUD

There are numerous ways to commit fraud, including:

• Identity theft – Pretending to be someone else for personal gain or for defamatory purposes by using online accounts, social security numbers, or other personal information are all forms of identity theft. Identity theft still counts if the victim is elderly, dead, or otherwise incapacitated.
• Credit fraud – Lying about income, net worth, the severity of your financial obligations, or otherwise falsifying information to gain credit or other goods and services is considered credit fraud. This is typically less serious than identity theft.
• Forgery – Intent to defraud or steal money from another party by forging checks, altering check amounts, signing someone else’s name to a document, or creating fake documents for your benefit count as forgery. The severity of the crime will determine the defendant’s punishment.

These are just a few of the more common examples of fraud. It is not unheard of for a person to commit fraud without realizing what they were doing. You should speak with an attorney as soon as possible if you are ever questions about fraudulent activity.

DEFENSES AGAINST FRAUD CHARGES

Defendants charged with fraud can sometimes argue they were acting in good faith that they were allowed to sign or change documents. Let’s say Tom was given a check from Lucy for $1,750. He gets to the bank and the teller realizes Lucy wrote “One thousand, seven hundred”. If Tom changed the “5” to a zero on the check to reflect the handwritten note, he is committing forgery. However, Tom may be able to argue that Lucy would have approved. In fact, he was taking fifty dollars less than she originally thought.

Mistaken identity and lack of crime are popular defenses. Mistaken identity is a defense in which someone else committed the crime, not you. Lack of crime says the check’s signature is real or that the smudge marks on the deed’s edges are from the original document author.

There are a variety of defenses available. If you have been charged with any type of fraud, talk with skilled Houston fraud lawyer Samuel Gardner to discuss your options.