White collar crimes are non-violent crimes that usually have to do with money. Some common examples include forgery, identity theft, money laundering, fraud and embezzlement. Often, these crimes are committed by people in executive positions, but one doesn’t have to be an executive to face allegations of white collar crime.
Forgery is signing another person’s name without that person’s consent. It can involve a check, a contract or even just a letter. It is never a good idea to sign someone else’s name on anything.
Identity theft involves using personal information from someone other than yourself. This can be a Social Security number, name or birthday. In most cases, identity theft is done to gain credit or access cash. It is possible that this crime happens in conjunction with others, such as forgery.
Money laundering means that you try to “clean up” money that was earned illegally by funneling it through legal means. For example, you might try to launder money obtained through gang activity by running it through the accounts of a nightclub.
Fraud charges can be levied when you aren’t fully honest on income tax returns, mortgages or other financial documents. When you fill out any applications or financial documents, you must be sure that everything you say is completely accurate.
Embezzlement involves diverting money that isn’t yours out of a business into an account that you control. Anyone with access to a company’s financial accounts could potentially commit this crime.
It is sometimes possible to commit a white collar crime without realizing it. If you are in this position, don’t try to cover anything up. In many cases, the cover-up is more problematic than the crime itself.
