White-collar crimes rarely make headlines but they can still impact the community and lives of everyone living in a certain area. While Arizona may be out of the way when it comes to crime and crime sprees, there's still plenty of white-collar crime to go around in this Wild West state.
You most likely won't stumble into white-collar crime by accident, there are a few things you should know about the amount of it in Arizona. More common crimes that seem to always make headlines often have to do with drugs and human trafficking but there are a lot of these same white-collar crimes that happen in conjunction with the more heinous issues.
The term “white collar" comes from 1939 and refers almost exclusively to any type of crime that relates to fraud committed by business or government officials. Officials who want to enhance their own lives and businesses through illegal gains are caught and tried for these types of crimes.
To be considered white-collar, crimes committed by these individuals have to have elements of concealment, deceit, or violation of trust to be considered part of this genre. When compared to other types of crime they seem to pale in comparison as they don't rely on violence. The victim or victims often aren't even aware they're being harmed by the perpetrator with white-collar crime.
White-collar crimes fall under two different categories, state and federal crimes. They fall under state jurisdiction if the fraud committed was against a state agency or was only within state lines. As soon as that crime crosses state lines and starts to affect interstate commerce it becomes a federal charge.
There are tons of different types of white-collar crime that can be committed at both the state and federal levels. At the state level, some of the most common ones are insider trading, credit card fraud, bribery, and embezzlement. Federal prosecutions include antitrust violations, mail fraud, insurance fraud, and identity theft.
These crimes are prosecuted by the appropriate authorities. Laws change from state to state when it comes to interstate issues and as soon as it crosses the lines, the federal government takes over. There are ways that you might violate some of these laws even without realizing that you're in violation.
Just like there are a hundred different ways that you can be caught for white-collar crimes in Arizona and around the country, the punishments take a range of different forms as well.
Federal charges bring about harsher punishments than state ones do but there can be some severe consequences. These can range from community confinement to fines to imprisonment. The sentence you may encounter in Arizona will depend on the exact nature of the crime and the extent of the harm caused.
Standard probation for white-collar crimes has a range of different time frames that can go from just six months to an entire lifetime. Sexually-related offenses often bring the harshest probations and they can regularly last a lifetime. White-collar crimes fit in between the two ends of the spectrum when it comes to probation. Criminal history plays a part in sentencing and a long history of run-ins with the law may lead to harsher punishment.
Some white-collar crime may have been phased out as the country came of age, others have been skyrocketing within the past few decades. The internet has made private information even more accessible and with it, non-violent white-collar crimes in places that seem out of the way like Arizona, have jumped.
Everything we do relies on our identity to the state and federal government. Identity theft has become a crime wave in recent years as more information has become easily accessible online. Keeping your ID secure seems like a full-time job and entire businesses are surrounding the enterprise.
Identity theft can disrupt your everyday life and huge amounts of businesses as well. Protecting yourself and your loved ones may be as simple as taking some tests to ensure you don’t fall prey to any sort of phishing or online scams.
You've probably seen different types of scams circulating the internet and while some are obvious, others are much trickier. Cybercrime has made huge leaps in past years and has quickly topped some of the charts when it comes to white-collar crime.
These scams and phishing schemes make quick work of anyone bold enough to click on a link and they can quickly empty bank accounts or steal identities. Computer-related crimes often involve hacking into private systems and they can corrupt information and patterns of business quickly.
While Arizona may not be a hub of computer activity, that just makes it more of a target for cybercrime. Individuals and businesses are unlikely to have the kind of security necessary to keep hackers and other trolls out of their private lives. Being vigilant is only half the battle when it comes to cybercrime; bulking up security is the best way to keep predators from slipping into any system.
Big companies have learned that they can get their way no matter what and the power quickly goes to their heads. This can lead to them breaking all kinds of laws to get ahead. White-collar crimes for corporations have jumped as large companies plow under smaller businesses.
To get ahead and stay ahead, many turn to shady business practices that eventually break the law whether state or federal. The biggest test case was Enron in the last few decades but there have been dozens of others that have taken part in the white-collar crimes around the country.
Big corporations are part of the fabric of Arizona just like small ones are. They can quickly start to break rules to get ahead. One of the worst parts is that many of the people who may end up victimized will never know they’ve been taken advantage of by these big companies. The fallout and aftermath may make headlines but that doesn’t change the pain they may cause in the intervening time.
Crime in Arizona takes many different forms and the ones that make headlines are usually the violent ones that everyone seems to understand. White-collar crimes go under the radar but can be just as damaging to individual lives and especially to businesses.
White-collar crimes have continued to grow across the country including identity theft, cybercrime, and corporate white-collar crimes. All of these can seem innocuous at first but can wreak havoc on businesses and lives in no time.
Arizona may feel like an out-of-the-way place that no one will bother but anyone can end up a victim of white-collar crime. Beefing up your physical security won't do any good but with the advent of more internet-based companies and businesses, online security is much more important. Knowing the enemy between phishing scams and hacking can help keep you safe from someone who might want to take advantage.