FRAUD AND MISREPRESENTATION

Every day, people lose money as the victims of fraud or misrepresentation.

Fraud and misrepresentation are terms used in a variety of ways in the law. Generally speaking, someone has committed fraud, referred to in the law as "fraudulent misrepresentation," when he or she makes an intentional misrepresentation of fact or opinion that is material and intended to induce, and does in fact induce, another person to take action in reasonable reliance on the misrepresentation, causing monetary harm to that other person.

In other words, if Joe tells Mary something that he knows is not true in order to convince her to do something, what he tells her is important to her decision, she does what he was trying to get her to do, and she loses money because of it, Mary may be entitled to compensation from Joe, or from his employer if he was acting for a company.

There are other types of misrepresentation. In certain circumstances, you may be entitled to compensation if you have been the victim of negligent misrepresentation or even innocent misrepresentation.

If you believe you have been the victim of fraud or misrepresentation, an attorney can help you determine if you are legally entitled to recover what you have lost.