Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
fraud in the factum

fraud in the factum

9.9
A trick that makes someone sign a document without knowing what it is
  • noun
  • /frɔd ɪn ðə ˈfæktəm/
  • Formal
translation icon : fraude en el hecho
  • The signature was obtained through fraud in the factum, so the contract is void.

Examples

  • Courts distinguish fraud in the factum from cases where someone is merely misled about the details of an agreement.

  • The judge ruled that fraud in the factum invalidated the agreement because the signer was unaware of what they were agreeing to.

  • A case of fraud in the factum occurs when someone tricks you into signing a document you do not understand.

  • There was fraud in the factum.

  • Don't ignore fraud in the factum!

  • A case of fraud in the factum occurs when a person is misled about the true nature of the contract they are signing.

  • When fraud in the factum is proven, the court may declare the document legally unenforceable.

Synonyms

fraud
vsfraud in the factum
577 4.0

Deceiving someone to get money or an unfair advantage

is a narrower legal case where deception changes what a signer thinks they sign

Antonyms

clarity
152 3.0

How easy it is to understand what someone says or writes

transparency
146 3.7

Being clear so people can see or understand how something works

Surface Forms

fraud in the factum singular
fraud in the factums plural

Morphology

fraud + in + the + factum

The constituents 'fraud' + 'in the' + 'factum' give a loose literal clue (fraud in a deed/action), so a learner might guess a general sense of dishonest act relating to a document or act. However, this is a specialized Latin legal term with a specific technical meaning (being deceived about the nature of the document signed) that is not directly predictable from the words alone, so it is partially but not fully transparent to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Fraud in the factum paints a simple picture: fraud happens in the very factum, the act of signing, when someone is tricked into signing a paper they do not understand. That's why it means 'being deceived about what you sign' and can make the signature 'not valid'.