As the world advances, so does crime. Nowadays, we see a rise in white collar crime. White collar crime, is defined as a non-violent crime committed by a person of high social status in the course of their occupation.
Fraud
This is the act of deception with the intention of gain. One of the most common types of fraud is identity theft. This is when someone uses your personal information, such as your name, Social Security number or credit card number, without your permission, to commit fraud.
Another common type of fraud is tax evasion. This is when people try to avoid paying taxes by hiding income or not reporting it on their taxes.
Embezzlement
This is the act of taking money that you have been entrusted with for your own personal use. This can happen in a business setting when an employee steals from their employer or in a personal setting when someone steals from their family or friends. An example of this white collar crime would be if you were working at a tech company and you decided to sell some of the company’s products on the side.
Money laundering
This is the act of hiding the source of money obtained through illegal means. One way this happens is by transferring the money through multiple bank accounts to make it look like it came from different sources. Sometimes, people will also buy property with money that’s illegally obtained and then sell the property for a profit.
Espionage
This is the act of gathering information about someone or something without their permission. This can be done for industrial or military purposes. An example of espionage would be if you were to sneak into your competitor’s office and take pictures of their new product so that you could make a similar product.
Ponzi scheme
When someone takes money from new investors to pay off the old investors, with the promise of high returns, that’s a Ponzi scheme. This type of fraud can often be seen in investments and can result in people losing a lot of money.
While these are some of the most common white collar crimes, there are many others, including bribery, forgery and insider trading. It’s important to watch out for these crimes, as they can often be difficult to detect and can have serious consequences.
