In Texas, wire fraud is a commonly-charged crime that entails two elements: deception and communication. Wire fraud covers most forms of modern communication, so just about every contemporary fraud scheme can be charged as wire fraud.
Definition of Wire Fraud
Wire fraud is both a state and a federal crime. The term “wire” covers anything from telephone communications to broadcast TV, radio, and email. It stands in contrast to mail fraud, which takes place exclusively over written mail. Even social media messages and posts fall under wire communications. Fraud is a deception to take money from people. Older forms of wire fraud may have included fraudulent emails from fake charities or phone scams. A more modern example might be using Instagram to push a cryptocurrency project, then stealing the invested funds. The use of mass communication in wire fraud means that fraudsters can send out large amounts of communication quickly and easily, expanding the potential pool of victims.
Fraud Crimes
Like other forms of fraud, wire fraud is typically grouped under white collar crime. This is an informal category of crimes in which there is little to no violence. White collar crimes involve the use of fraud or other deceptive means to steal money or property. Their penalties and procedures in law enforcement are often lighter due to the lack of violence, unless the crime took place on an especially large scale.
Wire fraud is one of the most frequent charges that federal law enforcement uses, and often it is charged along with other criminal acts. It is a common example of white collar crime on the state and federal levels.
