The current generation of young adults knows to take everything they read online with a grain of salt. Likewise, the drive to make television more honest is almost as old as television; for example, the original motive for producing Sesame Street was to make a television show that used the same catchy tunes and colorful visuals that other showed used as a vehicle for commercial messages, but instead to use it for more benign purposes, such as teaching young children basic literacy and numeracy skills before they entered kindergarten. Junk mail is not new, either; even before the age of television, you were more likely to find advertisements in your mailbox than letters and postcards from people you actually knew. Using means of communication other than face-to-face interaction as a ploy for attention or as a way to promote your products is not a crime. Intentionally sending false information by mail, fax, television, the Internet, or any other kind of communications technology for the express purpose of convincing the recipient to send you money is; it is called mail and wire fraud.
Wire Fraud Does Not Have to Involve Wires
When you hear the phrase “wire fraud,” you might think about wire transfers, such as those used to send money by Western Union and MoneyGram. In fact, some wire fraud crimes involve deceiving victims into sending money by wire transfer, whether through one of the aforementioned wire transfer companies or through a bank. Any kind of wire can be involved, though, including the telephone wires or, in the old days, telegraph wires, by which the perpetrators sent the false messages. The most important criterion is the intent to defraud, rather than the means of communication.
Same Scams, Different Technology
Many of the most famous Internet scams are much older than the Internet. You have probably heard of 419 scams, also called “Nigerian prince scams.” The term “419 scam” refers to the section of Nigerian criminal law that deals with fraud. These are a type of advance fee scams, where the perpetrator promises the victim a large amount of money if the victim will first pay a smaller (but usually still substantial) amount of money to help the perpetrator access that larger sum. In fact, this scam has been around a long time; it is older than email and even than the modern nation of Nigeria. It is at least as old as the 18th century, at which time it was known as the “Spanish prisoner scam.” In this scam, the perpetrator would send a letter to the victim, asking for the victim to help a wealthy relative, who had been imprisoned in Spain, escape.
Contact Madrid Law About Wire Fraud Cases
Wire fraud takes many forms, but it can carry heavy penalties, such as six-figure fines and up to 30 years in prison. You need a good criminal defense lawyer if you are facing charges of wire fraud. Contact Madrid Law in Houston to discuss your case.
