theft
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theft
The unlawful act in which someone takes someone else's property in order to keep it for themselves.
Der Diebstahl des Laptops wurde sofort der Polizei gemeldet.
The theft of the laptop was reported to the police immediately.
'Der Diebstahl' (the theft) belongs to a word family. The related verb is 'stehlen' (to steal), and the person who steals is 'der Dieb' (the thief) or 'die Diebin' (the female thief). When you learn one word, you can learn the others more easily too.
Ein Dieb hat versucht, mein Fahrrad zu stehlen, aber der Diebstahl ist misslungen.
A thief tried to steal my bicycle, but the theft failed.
'Diebstahl' (theft) is often combined with certain verbs. You can 'begehen' (commit) a theft, 'melden' (report) or 'anzeigen' (file a report for) it with the police, and the police can 'aufklären' (solve) it.
Er hat den Diebstahl seiner Brieftasche sofort gemeldet.
He reported the theft of his wallet immediately.
To say what was stolen, you often use the preposition 'von' (of/from) followed by the dative. This structure is very common in police reports and news.
Die Polizei untersucht den Diebstahl von wertvollem Schmuck.
The police are investigating the theft of valuable jewelry.
fraud / cheating
'der Betrug' and 'der Diebstahl' are both crimes and often have to do with money or possessions. The important difference is the type of action. With 'Betrug', someone deliberately deceives another person, for example with false information, in order to gain an advantage. With 'Diebstahl', someone takes someone else's property. The words can be confused because both can cause harm. If someone gets money through lies or tricks, you are more likely to say 'Betrug'. If someone simply takes something, 'Diebstahl' is more precise.
In der Schule wurde der Diebstahl eines Handys gemeldet.
The theft of a mobile phone was reported at the school.
Nach dem falschen Anruf meldete die Bank den Betrug der Polizei.
After the fake phone call, the bank reported the fraud to the police.