Summary

The term “white-collar crime” refers to crimes committed by people in respectable social and professional positions, who commit a crime in the course of doing their job or by using the advantage of their position. The crimes perpetrated are generally nonviolent, occur in commercial or business settings, and are intended solely to generate an illicit profit. White-Collar Crime explains the common types of crime committed, ranging from simple fraud to embezzling to insider trading, notes the famous cases, and discusses how law enforcement agencies identify and fight these crimes.

Chapters include:

• History of White-Collar Crime
• ABSCAM: How to Catch White-Collar Criminals
• Crimes Against Consumers
• Computer Crimes and I.D. Theft
• Insider Trading and the Strange Case of Martha Stewart.

• Anti-trust violations
• Swindles, such as the “Great Salad Oil Swindle”
• Computer and Internet fraud and phone and telemarketing fraud
• The ABSCAM investigation
• Bait and switch, false advertising, and price gouging
• Environmental frauds and crimes
• Identity theft
• Tax cheats and investment swindles.

Specifications

Full-color and black-and-white photographs and illustrations. Sidebars. Chronology. Bibliography. Endnotes. Further resources. Index.

About the Author(s)

Michael Benson is the author of 50 books, including the true-crime books Betrayal in Blood and Lethal Embrace. He also wrote The Encyclopedia of the JFK Assassination for Facts On File. Originally from Rochester, NY, he is a graduate of Hofstra University.