When most people think of crimes they often immediately imagine violent crimes—rape, murder, assault. There are many different types of crimes, though, most of which are non-violent. But even these types of crimes have far-reaching and long-lasting effects. White collar crimes are some such crimes. Victims of white collar crimes suffer the consequences of those crimes for years.
Exactly what are white collar crimes? Will the government eradicate them from our society at some point in the near future?
What Crimes Fall Under the Category of White Collar Crimes
The term “white collar crimes” encompasses a multitude of crimes. These include:
- Fraud (including bank, cell phone, credit card, securities, telemarketing, welfare, health care, insurance and computer fraud)
- Schemes (such as currency, investment and environmental schemes)
- Counterfeiting and Forgery
- Insider trading
- Money laundering
- Tax evasion
Most white collar crimes are committed in a business setting, and all of them are committed for financial gain. In many instances, the person committing the white collar crimes is a trusted acquaintance, able to appear innocent while taking advantage of the relationship they have with their target.
White collar crimes occur over the course of weeks, months or years. It usually takes some time to establish a relationship of trust and then to carry out the act. Plus, if the white collar crimes go undetected, the criminal can take advantage of the victim for a long time before being found out, as is sometimes the case when an employee embezzles funds from their employer. The amount of money lost due to white collar crimes amounts to hundreds of billions of dollars per year according to a New York Times article.
Two Reasons Why White Collar Crimes Aren’t Going Away
While the government is attempting to eliminate these crimes with white collar crime law enforcement divisions, it is unlikely they will be able to do so completely. There are two reasons for this.
- White collar criminals are very sophisticated. These crimes are not crimes of passion. They are well thought-out, from top to bottom and beginning to end. The criminals plan and practice to make sure of every detail. And they use anything they can to their advantage.
- Technology allows criminals to stay ahead of law enforcement. Cybercrimes are becoming more popular because they allow for criminal anonymity. The criminal can commit their crime from anywhere in the world, or from right next door, all because of technology.
What to Do If You Have Been Accused Of White Collar Crimes
Everyone has the right to a fair trial, a good defense and an attorney who will fight for their rights. A criminal defense attorney, such as those at the law office of John C. Fitzpatrick, has the important job of standing up for the accused and getting a jury to question whether the person charged with the crime is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt or not. If you’ve been accused of a crime, call us today.