Theft by Deception

In Pennsylvania, theft by deception is when a person purposefully creates a false impression on another in order to retrieve items from them unlawfully. This type of theft is commonly labeled fraud, and usually prevents the victim from knowing vital information that, if they were aware of beforehand, would have prevented them from going along with the situation or transaction. The thief may be in a confidential relationship with the person, but uses trickery to gain money or other items from the unaware party. By the time the victim of the crime finds out that it was a scheme, it is many times too late.

The victim of theft by deception in Pennsylvania will likely be in a situation where they will have to wait until it is proven that a crime was committed before they are able to retrieve their items back into their possession. During this time, they have to prove that they were in fact deceived by the accused offender, and that they had no idea about certain information that would have altered their decision making during the deal or transaction. Many times this type of theft happens in an online environment, one where buyers aren’t sure of what they are about to purchase.

For example, let’s say that a person sees an apartment’s room for rent on an online ‘rooms and shares’ listing, and decides to go to the physical address and take a look at it. Upon arriving, the landlord who listed the room as ‘available’ gives the person a tour, and assures them that everything is legit and that no rules or laws are being broken. The landlord collects the first and last month’s rent in cash, and says he’ll be back to collect rent again the following month. After a few weeks, people from the property management agency stops by to evict the person who actually was posing as the landlord, a tenant who was not supposed to sublease to anyone under their rental agreement.

The surprised person renting the room now has the burden of explaining to the property management (an agency who didn’t even know that a room renter was now residing there at the residence) that he was swindled into thinking that the seller was actually the landlord. This would help prove that he was a victim of theft by deception in Pennsylvania. A good criminal defense lawyer would greatly assist with in-court representation, getting proof of the original online listing for the room for rent, and with the presenting of receipts and other evidence to the court.