False pretenses is a common law crime. It consists of (1) obtaining title (2) to personal property of another (3) by an intentional false statement of past or existing fact (4) with intent to defraud the other.

Note that it is essential that the victim of the false pretenses must actually be deceived by the misrepresentation, and the fact that the victim is deceived must be a major (if not the only) factor of the victim granting title to the defendant. Simply making a false promise or statement is not sufficient.

False pretenses is distinguishable from larceny by trick in that larceny by trick simply uses a deception to deprive the owner of possession, not title.