About White Collar Crime and Criminals
White collar criminals cannot be profiled. According to most studies, over 90% of white collar criminals have no previous criminal records. There is an inverse relationship between the value of the economic crime and the likelihood of the white collar criminal having a previous criminal record. The higher the value of the crime, the less likely it is that the perpetrator had a previous criminal record.
White collar crime is a crime of persuasion. It is a crime committed with a smile rather than a gun. Many white collar criminals are likable and charming people. They use their likable personality as a tool to gain the confidence of their victims. That is why white collar criminals are called "con men" or "confidence men."
Likewise, white collar criminals consider your good traits such as goodwill and trust as "weaknesses to be exploited” in the execution of their crimes. White collar criminals build walls of false integrity around them by showcasing their good deeds, while living a parallel life of crime.
For example, one important tool of the white collar criminal is your gratitude for the "kindness" they bestow on you and others. White collar criminals hope that their "good deeds" will weaken your professional skepticism, objectivity, and inquiry into their actions. They hope that one day you may come to their aid and publicly defend or rationalize their actions.
Unexamined Acceptance and Critical Analysis (Learning to Think)
A common mistake made by victims of white collar crime is "unexamined acceptance." No financial information received from any source should be taken for granted as being truthful and accurate without any critical analysis. We should require that every college student take at least one course in critical thinking as a requirement for graduation.
An auditor's lack of questioning skills is frequently cited in fraud literature as a major factor in failed audits. Most auditors do not have effective interviewing skills. They do not know how to ask questions, whom to ask questions the proper questions, how to formulate proper follow up questions, and are often too quick to accept false and misleading answers.
