The term fraud generally refers to conduct whereby a person or company gains a benefit for themselves or causes a detriment to another person or company through conduct that is dishonest and/or deceptive.
In the context of the Australian criminal law, conduct which can be broadly described as ‘fraud' is captured by a range of offences contained in various pieces of state and territory legislation, as well as federal legislation – the latter of which applies across the nation.
Here's a summary of fraud offences across Australia, including the general categories of fraud, the ‘essential elements' (or ingredients) of the offences, and the penalties and defences that may apply.
Some categories of fraud offences in Australia
