Legal Definitions - faux peys

Faux peys refers to the illegal practice of using false or inaccurate measuring devices, such as scales or meters, to intentionally misrepresent the quantity of goods or services in a transaction. This deception is typically employed to defraud a buyer or seller, leading them to believe they are receiving or providing a different amount than what is actually exchanged.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of faux peys:

• Imagine a local market vendor selling fresh produce. If the vendor uses a scale that has been secretly adjusted to display a weight higher than the actual weight of the fruit, customers would end up paying for more produce than they are truly receiving. For instance, a customer might pay for 2 pounds of apples, but the scale, due to the vendor's manipulation, only provided 1.8 pounds. This deliberate miscalibration of the scale to shortchange customers constitutes faux peys.

• Consider a company that supplies bulk raw materials, such as sand or gravel, to construction sites. If the truck carrying these materials is weighed on a scale that has been tampered with to show an inflated weight, the construction company would be overcharged. For example, a delivery might actually contain 15 tons of gravel, but the manipulated scale registers 16 tons, leading the buyer to pay for an extra ton they never received. This use of a doctored scale to misrepresent the quantity of goods is an act of faux peys.

• Think about a gas station where a fuel pump has been illegally modified. The pump's meter might display that it has dispensed 10 gallons of gasoline, but in reality, it has only delivered 9.5 gallons into the customer's vehicle. The customer pays for the displayed 10 gallons, unknowingly receiving less fuel than indicated. This manipulation of a measuring device (the fuel pump's meter) to defraud customers is a clear instance of faux peys.