White collar crime is any illegal act committed by concealment or guile, rather than physical means, to obtain money or property, avoid payment or loss of money or property, or obtain business or personal advantage. While these may be operated legally, many such investments are simply frauds and the money disappears. Examples of white collar crimes are identity theft, credit card fraud and shoplifting. Investigators work to identify shoplifters by the following criteria: avoid contact with sales personnel, pick up a small item and wander about the store because they may finally palm it and leave, "have their heads on swivels" to assess their opportunity to steal, wear baggy clothing distract sales personnel or serve as shields so their partner can take and conceal items, make repeated trips to fitting rooms, carry large handbags or push strollers. Investigators can look at the history and location of the credit card usage to investigate whether or not it was the true card holder that made the purchase. Investigation of identity fraud takes many different pieces of information to allow the case to be solved. Many cases are not discovered until months and months after the fraud has been committed, making it difficult for investigators to weave through the massive amount of information needed.
White-collar crimes are defined as nonviolent, illegal activities that rely on deceit, deception, concealment, manipulation, breach of trust, subterfuge, or illegal circumvention (Swanson et al., p. 401). There are no set of laws entitled white-collar crimes; instead they fall under the category or larceny/theft crimes. These crimes are investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Postal Inspector, and the U.S. Secret Service. The FBI investigates crimes which involve the transporting of stolen goods, the U.S. Postal Inspector investigates crimes involving the use of the U.S. Mail and wire fraud, and the U.S. Secret Service investigates crimes involving fraudulent credit cards or checks, and enforces counterfeiting and fraud statutes (Swanson et al., p. 401). Examples of white-collar crime include money laundering, security and investment fraud (Ponzi schemes), telemarketing scams, postal fraud, identity theft, internet gambling and lottery scams, mortgage fraud, and other crimes involving illegal activities that are used to deceive victims with the goal of benefiting the offender. A letter is sent through the mail asking consumers to send money for goods which are never received. Telephone calls are made asking for and collecting donations for a charity that doesn't exist. An employee "shaves" a little money off the total sales which he/she diverts into their checking account or pocket instead of including it in the profits for the company. Investigating these crimes requires interdepartmental sharing of information and working together. It involves investigating multiple crimes with a number of victims. There is careful case coordination and joint jurisdiction when investigating these crimes. Essentially, these crimes are best investigated by the use of multiple investigators and government entities working together to solve the crimes.