Wire fraud is when a person creates a scheme to obtain money based on false promises or representation. This act is done using electronic communications or interstate communications facility. Just like any kind of fraud, wire fraud is a federal offense, regardless of whether the scheme has actually defrauded a person. In the US, this fraud is a crime with accompanying stiff penalties, particularly if the victim is a financial institution.

Most cases of this fraud involved the telephone. Moreover, television and radio may also be used as a way to commit this fraud. These days, a lot of cases involved the internet where people could send images, sound, text video in association with fraud attempt. The information given is meant to mislead the victim to give up property or money.

People could be scammed in so many ways. This could range from emails pretending to be coming from friends who are stranded in other countries who need help to ads for products that do not exist or no longer exist. This could be committed by a single individual or a group or persons who work to create a more convincing scenario. Some schemes are elaborate and online people could pray on older people and others who are not familiar with the internet by using misleading emails to trick them.