What crime is Louise committing by submitting false applications for insurance?

Louise's actions of submitting false applications for insurance fall under the category of insurance fraud. This is a broad term that encompasses various types of dishonesty related to insurance claims and applications, where the individual deliberately misrepresents facts to gain an undeserved benefit. In this scenario, submitting false applications suggests her intent to deceive the insurer in order to secure a policy under false pretenses, which is characteristic of insurance fraud.

Hard fraud specifically refers to schemes where an individual intentionally causes a loss, such as staging accidents or inflating claims, whereas soft fraud involves exaggerating claims or misrepresenting information that may seem less severe. Here, since Louise is creating false applications, her actions do not align with soft fraud but are a clear violation of ethical and legal standards that define insurance fraud.

Cyber fraud typically encompasses crimes conducted through the internet involving computers and networks, which does not apply in this context as the focus is on the deception involved in the application process rather than the means by which the crime is committed. This reinforces that the correct identification of her actions as insurance fraud accurately captures the nature of her misconduct in the insurance application process.