White-collar crime is a slang word for crimes done by people of a higher class while engaged in their line of business. White-collar criminals typically hold a professional position of prominence and/or status that pays far more than the average wage. In this article, we will look at the various types of white-collar crimes and ways to prevent them.
What is White collar crime?
Defining white-collar crime is quite simple yet interesting. The concept of white-collar crime was first introduced by Sutherland in his book White-Collar Crime in 1949. These kinds of crimes frequently occur in the business, medical, and educational industries. However, many countries, including India, refer to the definition of white-collar crimes given by prominent criminologist Edwin Harding Sutherland, which is defined as follows: “crimes committed by people who enjoy the high social status, great repute, and respectability in their occupation.” White-collar crimes, according to the corporate definition, are non-violent crimes committed by professionals and businessmen seeking to increase their wealth or status by engaging in illegal activities or breaking the law. India is seeing an increase in white-collar crimes. White-collar criminals are more likely to be in a position to commit widespread and complex fraud schemes, such as working as loan officers in a bank.
Also Read: What is white-collar crime?
Examples of White-collar crimes
Each profession has its own set of white-collar crimes, which are committed by professionals who are recognized in their fields and are attempting to harm or escape something by using their position. The following are a few white-collar crime examples in the different sectors.
Law: In the practice of law, white-collar crimes include falsifying or fabricating documents, threatening witness statements or victims in an ongoing case, disobeying ethical rules for the legal profession, and attempting to subvert the rule of law.
Education: Some examples of white-collar crime in the education sector include soliciting donations in place of free goods or services, offering unfair advantages in exchange for admission, substituting donations for merit-based admissions, and racking up significant sums of money through government grants without processing them further.
Medical: In the field of medicine, white-collar crimes usually involve providing false medical certificates, using fake treatments to raise hospital bills, discriminating against children based on their gender at birth, delaying treatment to raise hospital bills, and selling chemist samples to customers for cash.
Types of White-collar crime
In India, some of the most common white-collar crimes are fraud, bribery, and corruption. Let’s take a closer look at some of these different types of white-collar crime.
Fraud:
Fraud is a broad term that refers to a variety of schemes used to defraud people of their money. Bank fraud, for example, is fraud committed to gain an unfair advantage of the money lending/credit system via a bank, and it includes fraudulent representation, document manipulation, breach of trust, and credit fault.
Identity theft and other cybercrimes:
Two of the most common computer crimes are identity theft and computer system “hacking.” The crime involves the hacking/breaching/disruption of a computer network in order to cause mental/physical harm using the internet or technology. Pornography, copyright infringement, cyber stalking, and malicious hacking are all examples.
Insider trading:
Insider trading occurs when a trader has material, non-public information that gives him or her an advantage in the financial markets. For example, an investment bank employee may be aware that Company A is planning to acquire Company B. The employee can purchase stock in Company B with the expectation that the stock will skyrocket once the acquisition is made public.
Bribery:
To attempt to influence someone to perform an action for you by providing them with cash, gifts, or other items that they desire. Bribes are used to influence people into taking an action that they otherwise wouldn’t.
These above-shared are some of the most common yet dangerous instances of white-collar crime.
White-collar crime sociology
White-collar criminals take advantage of their authority and commit crimes that cause harm to the community, financial fraud, and other malpractices. White-collar criminals are rarely if ever, held accountable for their actions. This statistic is based on a variety of factors. To begin with, most people do not consider white-collar crime to be a serious threat to society. Second, there is less outrage from the general public because it is difficult for them to fully comprehend the crime. This leads directly to the court’s failure to take collective action in response to the country’s alarming rise in white-collar crime. The majority of white-collar crimes are socio-economic in nature, affecting many people outside the criminal’s close circle.
Also Read: A Study on top white-collar crimes in India
Prevention of white-collar crime
White-collar crime can be prevented by properly and timely screening employees, ensuring that tasks are strictly separated, prioritizing an internal audit function, utilizing powerful software to perform, real-time exception monitoring, establishing and maintaining an ethical culture throughout the company, and providing employees with the appropriate training.
It is possible to make white-collar crime more difficult by educating potential victims on how to avoid becoming a victim. Increased security measures that require more energy to defeat and provide a higher risk of arrest can be effective in preventing white-collar crime. Streamlining legislation and regulations can help to reduce business abuses such as bankruptcy fraud and construction fraud. Because most white-collar criminals commit rational, calculated crimes, increasing the rate at which suspects are charged and sentenced may deter crime. Better public education may also result in increased reporting of white-collar crime. Denying the criminal any material gain from the crime may serve as a deterrent. More victims should be compensated using the remedies provided by existing legislation. There are countless instances of white-collar crimes that
Taking away the criminal’s ability to profit financially from their crime may have a deterrent effect. The remedies provided by current law for reimbursing victims for the illegal gains of white-collar offenders should be used more frequently.
Lex Solutions has a team of criminal defence attorneys who provide legal advice on a variety of topics such as anti-bribery and corruption laws, insider trading, corporate and accounting fraud, and more. One can get assistance with white-collar crimes from Lex Solutions.