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Fraud in New Zealand, 1840–1939

This study analyses fraudsters and their motives in New Zealand’s post-colonial times, using Papers Past, from 1840 to 1939. The aim is to understand the past societal context concerning fraud crimes. The historical analysis reveals that fraud was reported as early as 1840, and since then, reports of fraud have grown rapidly. False pretences and representation were the most common types of fraud, and there was a greater proportion of male than female perpetrators. Female criminality was the main subject of discussion during the period studied, and often biased perceptions regarding how typical women should behave were expressed. The motives of perpetrators of fraud were mainly to maintain cohesion for the family. Overall, the motivations for committing fraud indicated social struggles rather than greed. There is also some evidence for how fraudsters from privileged social classes received lighter sentencing regardless of the grave nature of the offence.