Breach of trust on business transactions and other white collar crimes.

White Collar Crime

There is no specific crime called “white collar” crime; it’s a generic term for a type of crime. white collar crime became very popular in 1939, when sociologist Edwin Sutherland described it in a speech (to a joint meeting of the American Sociological Society and the American Economic Association) as crime “committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of his occupation.”[14] But there is no universal agreement on its definition or the specific crimes encompassed by the term. Rather, white collar crime is typically defined in one of three ways:' 

(1) by the category of offender (e.g., high socioeconomic status or position of trust); (2) by the category of offense (e.g., economic or business crime); or (3) by the form of organizational culture.[15] While Mr. Sutherland defined it the first way,[16] the US Department of Justice, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has largely defined it the second way—“. . . those illegal acts which are characterized by deceit, concealment, or violation of trust and which are not dependent upon the application or threat of physical force or violence. Individuals and organizations commit these acts to obtain money, property, or services; to avoid the payment or loss of money or services; or to secure personal or business advantage.”[17] Under the FBI’s definition, we can think of white collar crime generally as nonviolent “paperwork” crime, rather than “street” crime, which is often violent.