False pretenses is a common lawcrime. It consists of (1) obtaining title (2) to personal property of another (3) by an intentional false statement of past or existing fact (4) with intent to defraud the other.
Note that it is essential that the victim of the false pretenses must actually be deceived by the misrepresentation, and the fact that the victim is deceived must be a major (if not the only) factor of the victim granting title to the defendant. Simply making a false promise or statement is not sufficient.
False pretenses is distinguishable from larceny by trick in that larceny by trick simply uses a deception to deprive the owner of possession, not title.
Falsepretenses, or more properly called "obtaining property by falsepretenses," is a crime where someone lies or makes misrepresentations in order to obtain someone else's property.
Note that it is essential that the victim of the falsepretense must actually be deceived by the misrepresentation, and the deception must be a major (if not the only) factor of the victim granting title to the lying party.
This crime is identical to the crime of falsepretenses except that the actual title of the property is never transfered; the perpetrator is simply stealing it.
Under common law, falsepretense is defined as a representation of a present or past fact, which the thief knows to be false, and which he intends will and does cause the victim to pass title of his property.
That is, falsepretense is the acquisition of title from a victim by fraud or misrepresentation of a material past or present fact.
The scope of the offence was enlarged to include practically all false pretences by the act of 1756, the provisions of which were embodied in the Larceny Act 1861.
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