Petokseksi

Petokseksi is a Finnish legal term used to designate that a given act constitutes fraud. The form is built from the noun petos (fraud, deception) with the suffix -ksi, which in Finnish marks a predicative or classificatory role, roughly translating to “as fraud” or “to be treated as fraud.”

In legal texts, petokseksi is used to classify conduct as fraud and often appears in charges, judgments, or official summaries. Common constructions include petoksena (as fraud) and phrases like luokiteltu petoksena (classified as fraud). The term is tied to the broader concept of petos in Finnish criminal law, which generally involves intentional deception and the aim of causing the receiver to suffer a financial or other form of harm.

Etymologically, petokseksi combines the noun petos with the suffix -ksi to create a predicative designation. It is a formal, technical expression rather than everyday language, and it functions to describe the nature of the act within a legal sentence or decision.

Notes on use and scope: Petoksesta refers to the offense of fraud in a legal charging context. Not every deceptive act is automatically classified as petos; legal distinctions exist between petos and other offenses such as väärennys (forgery) or ryöstö (robbery). The term appears primarily in Finnish criminal law and related judicial materials.

See also: Petos, Rikos, Väärennys.