A pattern of criminality has been in progress for decades with more Americans falling victim to this crime each day. The crime is “theft by deception.” Because of this, millions of Americans are losing their thin sliver of the American Dream, their security and their peace of mind
In order to understand the crime we first need to know and understand the elements of the crime.
To provide a starting point and specific language, we will use the definition of “theft by deception” as defined in one state in particular: Georgia. However, this crime, of using deception to steal, is codified in virtually every state and city. This crime is defined in the Georgia Code [2], in part, as:
a) A person commits the offense of theft by deception when he obtains property by any deceitful means or artful practice with the intention of depriving the owner of the property.
(b) A person deceives if he intentionally:
(1) Creates or confirms another’s impression of an existing fact or past event which is false and which the accused knows or believes to be false;
(2) Fails to correct a false impression of an existing fact or past event which he has previously created or confirmed;
(3) Prevents another from acquiring information pertinent to the disposition of the property involved