Fraud vs. Treason — 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.

Treason is the crime of attacking a state authority to which one owes allegiance. This typically includes acts such as participating in a war against one's native country, attempting to overthrow its government, spying on its military, its diplomats, or its secret services for a hostile and foreign power, or attempting to kill its head of state.

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

The betrayal of allegiance toward one's own country, especially by committing hostile acts against it or aiding its enemies in committing such acts.

A piece of trickery; a trick.

The betrayal of someone's trust or confidence.

One that defrauds; a cheat.

The crime of betraying one’s own country.

One who assumes a false pose; an impostor.

An act of treachery, betrayal of trust or confidence.

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

The offense of attempting to overthrow the government of the state to which the offender owes allegiance, or of betraying the state into the hands of a foreign power; disloyalty; treachery.

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

Loosely, the betrayal of any trust or confidence; treachery; perfidy.

The assumption of a false identity to such deceptive end.

A crime that undermines the offender's government

A person who performs any such trick.

Disloyalty by virtue of subversive behavior

(obsolete) A trap or snare.

An act of deliberate betrayal

(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