United States
United States statutes on this subject are mainly copied from the English statutes, and the courts there in a general way follow the English interpretations. The statutes of each state must be consulted. There is no Federal statute, though there are Federal laws providing penalties for false personation of the lawful owner of public stocks, &c., or of persons entitled to pensions, prize money, &c., or the false making of any order purporting to be a money order.
History
The first “modern” false pretense statute was enacted by Parliament in 1757. The statute prohibited obtaining “money, goods, wares, or merchandise” by “false pretence.” The first general embezzlement statute was enacted by Parliament in 1799. Neither of these statutes were part of the American common law. However, most states passed laws similar to the English statutes.
Read more about this topic: False Pretenses
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