Edwin Sutherland’s research on white-collar crime is based on his own differential association theory. Differential association theory assumes that criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other persons.
Think like Edwin Sutherland about white-collar crime and write about how these crimes are learned. You can use examples like Enron or Wells Fargo or other crimes.
Please leave at least three comments. One is your original contribution. And two comments are you replies to your classmates. Deadline: 11/13/22, 11:59 pm.
[…] Discussion Forum 11: White-Collar Crime […]
A white collar crime is when financial institution fraud happens when criminals target banks, credit unions etc. In 2017 they indicted 31 people from Staten Island for being in a “debit card cracking ring”, this is the only thing that comes to mind when I hear white collar crimes. Its a perfect example in my eyes that proves that white collar crimes would be part of the differential association theory. You’re round someone who’s getting fast money, naturally you’re going to want to know how to do it so you can get as much money as well. It is quite correct to assume that criminal behavior is learned in interaction with other people.
People always tell others about the ways they are making money, especially fast, quick money so its easy to get caught in white collar crime
I agree with you many people who are around some one who commits a white collar crime will want to learn eventually especially if you are always around it
A white collar is the most common way to make money nowadays. You see it happen so frequent that it’s became the new norm.
I agree with Vanessa. I think that’s how white collar crime is affected by the wealth that individuals desire and see as motivating them to conduct this crime.
Hello Vanessa, I do agree that when you speak to other people, it is correct to assume their criminal behavior and not risk yourself being apart of their loop for criminal behavior.
Hello Vanessa,
Your answer is concise and thanks for clearing what a white collar crime is.
I agree with your response. Most of these crimes are learned through interaction. It would be hard to wake up and know how successfully to commit white-collar crimes.
I agree completely vanessa. Its a trend for people to make quick or easy money but never to sit back and really evaluate HOW it is quick and easy money. Money laundering has been normalized over the past few years because it seems to be on the “less violent” spectrum of crime.
White collar crime is a perfect example of the differential association theory because white collar crime is something that people engage in as a group rather than solo, even if they do it solo like being a hacker, they have to learn their skills from person who shows them how to do it. In the movie “The Wolf on Wall Street” starring Leonardo Di Caprio, the movie is based on a true story of a story of a guy committing fraud on Wall Street because his company was selling people bogus insurance. His victims lost a lot of money.
I totally agree with you once one person learns it they begin to teach others and from there it expands.
Another great example would be watching Scambaiter on youtube, all these indian tech scam companies have gotten out of hand.
Hi, Kalia I can agree with you. when one person does it and shows the others they wanna do it too because it’s quick and easy money to access. And people now are just trying to get money the easier way. And with inflation now it’s difficult to support a family financially so I believe they do what they think is best.
Hello Kalia, that’s a great example I remembered watching that movie.
Hello Kalia, I agree with your wolf of wall street connection, They did have a bogus insurance company and kept leading people into their loop and gained success from it until then, the victims lost money as well as time went by
White collar crime is a non violent in nature such as money laundering, security fraud, public corruption and many more. When I think of white collar crime I think of fast money, scamming. Many people work for big companies begin to learn the company in and outs and that what they use to scam the company.
Great point Tiffany everybody wants a piece of the pie.
Hi Tiffany,
Yes, all these are white collar crime and very occurrent in today’s society.
Once one person learns how to get away with it they begin to teach others and from there it expands.
I agree with what you say because after they get away with teaching people close to them and those close people teach it to others and it’s like a line that will not stop.
A white collar crime has many different forms, from scams to hacking, its so frequent now that a lot of people do it and it’s scary.
Hi Heriberto, I agree with you White-collar crimes are more frequent than usual, and it’s so scary. Because you can never know when it can happen.
Thinking like Edwin Sutherland about the White – collar crime. White-collar crime is when financial institutions’ fraud takes place when criminals’ targets are banks etc. An example of White collar crime would be a group of people working to hack a company. This is a fast or quick way people use to get money these days.
I agree people don’t want to work these days, they just want easy and fast money.
Agreed, this crime does take a lot to not get caught though.
Hi Fareeza, i like your definition of a white-collar crime, i think it was simple and straight to the point. I agree!
People are so interested in fast money that they don’t think of the consequences.
White-collar crimes are learned through the reputation of an industry. If the overall thought is that the entire profession operates outside the rules, individuals are more likely to engage in corrupt activities. Wrong perception of an industry makes other companies within the industry to appear corrupt even if they are not. The suspicion or the knowledge that other companies are engaging in illegal behavior can prompt others to do the same. For instance, insider trading can be seen as just the way things are done. Reputation of an industry a being bad can establish a loop that causes more individuals to engage in criminal activities in the name of performance. White-collar crimes can also be learned through the idea of it being ‘victimless.’ Individuals can justify stealing from a giant firm as they do not attach face to that company. An example is Bernie Madoff case who turned his business into a Ponzi scheme.
White-collar crime is a form of non-violent crime with the aim of gaining financial benefits. The criminal may hold professional positions and their identity may or may not be hidden from their target. The internet has been a major contributor to the increase in white-collar crimes. White collar crimes are classified as either (1) individual, whereby, there is only one person who carries out the criminal activity, or (2) Corporate, such that a group of persons forms a sort of cartel to perform the crime. These can be done by an organization, a company, or a government.
Examples of white-collar crimes include Fraud- these are any kind of scheme set up to steal from people without applying violence. Cybercrimes- this is done by bypassing computer security and hacking accounts. Counterfeiting- this is a common type of white-collar crime whereby the target is given goods of a lower quality or a different good than they purchased. Money Laundering- printing of counterfeit money and letting it in the market through banking or purchases.
White collar crime is a fraud offense driven by financial benefits. It is committed by a dominant member of society. It doesn’t involve any bodily harm. Fraud and money laundering are two instances of white collar crime. Those with potentially high social position, such as accountants or computer experts, learn how to commit this crime. They can easily access the system to hack into it and retrieve crucial data. they can influence more appropriate members that can help commit the white collar crime to do anything and as well better members to do it without getting into trouble
I think this is one of the reasons why people in such positions should be micromanaged.
The way white collar crimes are learned varies, there are many white collar crimes from corporate fraud, money laundering and mortgage and financial institution fraud. corporate fraud happens by falsification of financial information and also the self dealing of corporate insiders within the corporation. Money laundering happens by turning dirty money to clean money so it looks like it came from a honest and legitimate way while also avoiding taxes as well. Mortgage and financial fraud happens when a person targets a bank or credit union and when someone lies to influence a bank’s mortgage decision.
White-collar crime is a nonviolent crime which is frequently categorized by deception or secrecy in order to obtain or prevent losing money or property, or to gain a competitive advantage for oneself or a company. The way these crimes are learned are from work colleagues and even external sources while working. Acquiring benefits for both the corporation and oneself are among the motivations for committing this crime.
HI Ninoska. I agree with your post and i like how you worded it! This is a good definition.
A White-Collar crime is a crime in which there is a victim being affected but the crime being pursued is non-violent. These crimes tend to be financially motivated for the benefit of the one committing the crime. Some of these crimes include but are not limited to are Money Laundering, Fraud, Public correction, etc. These crimes can have serious consequences which can include tearing down a company, or erasing a persons savings. An example of this is WorldCom in which the investors were being deceived and in about just a year it earned them more than 4 billion dollars.
White collar crimes are usually committed by corporations and groups. In 2016 Wells Fargo employees created millions of accounts in customers name unbeknownst to them. They have committed numerous white collar crimes scamming customers and corporations for over a decade. Usually in these settings when a few people do not initially get caught they tell others of the scam and they gladly join.
I agree. Wells fargo has COUNTLESS lawsuits because of money “mysteriously” going missing from their customers accounts. I have recently seen on tiktok many employees exposing behind the accusations posed against wells fargo.
These white-collar crimes can be committed in a variety of ways, such as by creating false expenses or embezzling funds for unintended uses. White-collar crimes are nonviolent; they involve the use of an asset for an unintended purpose. People with higher socioeconomic status may commit white-collar crimes. This may include government officials, bankers, businesspeople, and money managers. White-collar crimes, on the other hand, can be committed by people from average socioeconomic backgrounds, such as accountants or computer experts.
Great explanation here. I like how you included that most white-collar crimes are committed by people with the financial and technical knowledge to commit these crimes.
White-collar crimes are financially motivated crimes, they are not violent but cost the financial stability of victims to white-collar crimes. It involves corporate fraud revolving around the falsification of financial information and self-dealing. It also involves Money laundering, mortgage and financial institution fraud, and Intellectual Property theft. It is a personal and/or business gain that motives these types of crimes. An example of White-collar crime is a recent event revolving around the cryptocurrency company FTX which I fell victim to.
Misleading the public by assuring them that all deposits and assets are secured and FTX cannot use customer funds as their own. They went against their own Terms and Services and used customer funds to back an affiliate’s risky venture investment called Alameda Research amid bankruptcy. FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is also a Founder and owns Alameda Research, He took all customer funds leaving millions without access to their accounts, withdrawals, or deposits. This is a white-collar crime because it revolves around company fraud and embezzlement of customer funds which were not supposed to be touched as stated in their terms and services. I lost around $800 in my FTX account with no warnings or emails and I can’t imagine the people who put their life savings or huge amounts of money are dealing with this fiasco. So far, I’m not sure what will happen for those who lost all their funds in FTX but hopefully, a solution will be found.
Hello sofia. I have a question do you believe that there is a good cause to being involved in a white collar crime ? Can it be fully orchestrated without any violence?
When it comes to white-collar crimes, many of us have a very limited amount of knowledge of what this is. White-collar crimes are financially motivated crimes that are nonviolent in nature. People who commit white-collar crimes are typically those who are professionals like CEOs or corporate entities. Like wells Fargo in order to meet sales goals, the company opened fake accounts in customers’ names without their knowledge. They also forged signatures and transferred money from their customer’s accounts without permission. This was due to pressure from upper management on lower-level employees who were unable to meet the unrealistic goals set forth. To cover up any wrongdoing by the company those employees who were a part of the scheme were terminated for falsifying documents.
Most white-collar crimes are learned. It is not something you can wake up and do, which sets it apart from many other crimes. Sometimes it takes years to find and prosecute these types of crimes.
White collar crime is seemed to be on the side of less violent crime when comparing to murder or homicide. These crimes look to be way more calculated and mapped out because of they fall under the “money laundering, embezzlement and drug dealings.” When referring to white collar crimes it seems to be hard to distinguish the motive behind why it was done. Could it be emotion driven and would that make this a possible crime to be charged less harshly? White collar crimes are also known as “payouts.” An example of this would be a known an employee is aware of corruption to the corporation but to cover up they provide “hush money.”