White collar crime is common throughout the country and Arkansas, and there are many ways that an individual or organization can scam people out of money. Due to the seriousness of these crimes and the devastation they can bring to companies and families, the federal government spends a lot of time and effort to investigate them, and the penalties can be severe.
According to King University, the annual cost related to white collar crime in the United States is around $300 billion, and yet many people still do not understand exactly what constitutes a white collar crime. In general, this type of crime is nonviolent, and the perpetrators commit it with the goal of obtaining, or not losing, money, services or property in order to have a business or personal advantage. Those who commit these crimes may be individuals or companies. As a result of their actions, victims can include families, businesses, taxpayers and investors.
The FBI discusses some of the most common white collar crimes it investigates. Corporate fraud is one of its highest priorities, and common activities it examines include:
- Insider trading
- Accounting, trade and asset value falsifications
- Misuse of corporate property
- Late trading
- Regulatory oversight evading
Other primary focus areas for the FBI are money laundering and securities and commodities fraud, which includes areas such as Ponzi schemes, broker embezzlement and market manipulation. Investigating international, national and regional white collar crimes takes a lot of coordination among FBI special agents, regulatory agencies and all levels of law enforcement.