White-collar crimes have two defining features. First, they do not involve violence. Second, they are done for some kind of financial gain. Or some advantage that could lead to future financial gain.Typically they are done by someone with access to personal or business data or funds. So, while someone in a blue-collared job could carry one out in their spare time, they are usually done by so-called white-collar workers who spend their days at a computer.
What about if you used to be a blue-collar worker?
Let’s say you used to work on the construction site, and then through age or injury, you could no longer do so. Your boss might have offered you a move into the office.Having always worked with your hands rather than your fingertips, getting used to Excel spreadsheets may have taken some time. So when others who had been in the office longer told you to enter figures in a certain way or download a file of client data onto a USB, you did as they asked, assuming it was normal.If what they asked you do to was not above board, you could find yourself embroiled in a fraud investigation. Anyone investigating might not know how inexperienced you are in office work. They may assume you were part of the gang of people in on the scheme to defraud people.If you find working in an office bewildering, expect to find dealing with criminal charges you know nothing about even more so. If you face an investigation for a white-collar crime, seek help to respond to the charges.
