Damaging the reputation of a person or a group of people by publishing or saying bad things about them that are not true. More specifically, saying words which amount to defamation is slander and defamation in other forms, such as printed words or images, is libel.

Is deliberate deception to secure an unfair or unlawful gain. It is both a civil wrong (a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to remedy the fraud and/or recover compensation) and a criminal offence (a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by the government authorities).