Fraud vs. Misrepresentation — What's the Difference?

In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain, or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compensation) or criminal law (e.g., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities), or it may cause no loss of money, property, or legal right but still be an element of another civil or criminal wrong.

In common law jurisdictions, a misrepresentation is an untrue or misleading statement of fact made during negotiations by one party to another, the statement then inducing that other party to enter into a contract. The misled party may normally rescind the contract, and sometimes may be awarded damages as well (or instead of rescission).

A deception practiced in order to induce another to give up possession of property or surrender a right.

To give an incorrect or misleading representation of.

A piece of trickery; a trick.

To serve incorrectly or dishonestly as an official representative of.

One that defrauds; a cheat.

Erroneous or false representation; an unfair or dishonest account or exposition; a false statement: as, to injure one's character by misrepresentations.

One who assumes a false pose; an impostor.

Incorrect or unfaithful representation in the capacity of agent or official representative, such as of a principal in a matter of business, or of constituents in legislation.

(law) The crime of stealing or otherwise illegally obtaining money by use of deception tactics.

In map-making, faultiness in a map projection, estimated with regard to its unequal scale in different parts and to its distortion of angles.

Any act of deception carried out for the purpose of unfair, undeserved and/or unlawful gain.

Untrue representation; false or incorrect statement or account; - usually unfavorable to the thing represented; as, a misrepresentation of a person's motives.

The assumption of a false identity to such deceptive end.

A misleading falsehood

A person who performs any such trick.

(obsolete) A trap or snare.

(obsolete) To defraud

Deception deliberately practiced with a view to gaining an unlawful or unfair advantage; artifice by which the right or interest of another is injured; injurious stratagem; deceit; trick.

An intentional perversion of truth for the purpose of obtaining some valuable thing or promise from another.

A trap or snare.

Intentional deception resulting in injury to another person

A person who makes deceitful pretenses

Something intended to deceive; deliberate trickery intended to gain an advantage