A fraud is a false representation of a matter of fact which is intended to deceive another.
To prove fraud in court, a [[victim ]] must prove each of the "five fingers of fraud":<ref>In re Mau, 293 B.R. 919, 923 (Bankr. C.D.Ill. 2003)</ref>
(1) # a person made a material false statement<br>(2) # he knew the statement was false<br>(3) # he intended to deceive the victim<br>(4) # the victim justifiably relied on the false statement<br>(5) # the victim was damaged
[[category:legal terms]]