Legal Definitions - cheating

In a legal context, cheating refers to the act of dishonestly obtaining another person's property, money, or something else of value through deception, trickery, or misrepresentation, with the specific intent to defraud them. This often involves using false symbols, tokens, or making untrue statements to induce the victim to willingly part with their possessions or ownership.

• Imagine a person who creates realistic-looking but counterfeit gift cards for a popular retail store. They then sell these fake gift cards online at a slight discount to unsuspecting buyers. The buyers, believing the cards are legitimate, pay for them, but when they try to use them at the store, they discover the cards have no value.

  This illustrates cheating because the seller fraudulently obtained money from the buyers by using a "false symbol" (the counterfeit gift card) and intentionally misrepresented its value, leading the buyers to part with their money.

• Consider a scenario where someone is selling a vintage collectible item online. They post high-quality photos and write a detailed description, falsely claiming the item is a rare, authentic first edition in pristine condition, knowing full well it's a common reproduction with significant damage. An interested buyer, relying on these misrepresentations, purchases the item for a high price, believing they are acquiring a valuable original.

  This demonstrates cheating because the seller intentionally made "misrepresentations" about the item's authenticity and condition to induce the buyer to transfer money and take ownership of a significantly less valuable item than advertised, thereby defrauding the buyer.

• A "charity" organization solicits donations from the public, claiming the funds will go towards providing aid to disaster victims. However, the individuals running the organization have no intention of using the money for charitable purposes; instead, they funnel the vast majority of the donations directly into their personal bank accounts.

  This is an example of cheating because the organizers fraudulently obtained money (donations) from the public through deceptive practices and misrepresentations about the use of the funds, with the clear "intent to defraud" donors who believed their money would go to a legitimate cause.