• The term "white-collar" refers to fraud committed by business people and government officials.business man image by UBE from Fotolia.com
  
  Federal Bureau of Investigation white-collar crimes deal with fraud, which occurs when one person deceives another to obtain something illegally. The FBI reports that Professor Edwin Sutherland coined the term “white-collar crime” in 1939 to describe fraudulent crimes committed by those in the government and business professions who, at the time, wore white-collared shirts. White-collar crimes are committed in areas ranging from corporate fraud to bankruptcy fraud.
  
  

Corporate Fraud

• Executives commit corporate fraud when they involve themselves in accounting schemes, falsify data relating to a company’s finances, misuse corporate property and obstruct justice. Most corporate fraud cases the FBI investigates involve attempts to mislead investors, analysts and auditors about the financial status of a company by manipulating data. Other types of corporate fraud include fake trading to increase profits, insider trading, backdating executive stock options and committing tax violations.
  
  

Insurance Fraud

• Insurance fraud, considered an “investigative priority” by the FBI, has several different facets. Insurance-related corporate fraud happens when an insurance company uses client premiums to pay for corporate expenses. According to the FBI, premium diversion is the most common type of fraud that occurs when insurance agents take their policyholders' premiums for themselves instead of giving them to the insurance company. Viatical settlement fraud takes place when an individual with a terminal illness is sold a discounted life insurance policy and such individual failed to disclose his condition on the application. Workers' compensation fraud occurs when bogus insurance companies sell this type of insurance to businesses at reduced rates but do not really provide insurance benefits.
  
  

Mass Marketing Fraud

• Mass marketing frauds are those that “exploit mass communication media,” according to the FBI. Mass communication media include telemarketing, emails, mass mailings and the Internet. Mass marketing fraud often involves advance fee fraud, where victims give up-front payments to perpetrators and never receive the goods promised. Examples of these types of fraud include the Nigerian letter fraud, foreign lottery/sweepstakes fraud, recovery schemes and overpayment fraud.
  
  

Bankruptcy Fraud

• The FBI reports that the increase of bankruptcies has led to more cases of fraud since the stigma associated with filing for bankruptcy has diminished. Bankruptcy fraud occurs when an individual in debt hides assets so he does not have to forfeit them, files false bankruptcy forms or files for bankruptcy several times with real or false information. Bankruptcy fraud often accompanies mortgage fraud or identity theft. To help combat bankruptcy fraud, the FBI investigates businesses and individuals who hide assets and file for bankruptcy in several states.