Deck 12: Economic Crimes: White-Collar, Blue-Collar, and Green-Collar

Question 1

The NCVS has found that nearly a million more burglaries occur each year than reported by the UCR.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Ponzi schemes are named after famed criminal Arthur Ponzirelle.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

In Lemert's well-known study on check fraud, he found that amateurs account for less than 10 percent of check fraud, with the majority highly trained and highly experienced forgers.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Hirschi and Gottfredson have collected data showing that the demographic distribution of white-collar crime is similar to other crimes.

Question 5

Bernard Madoff is an example of one of the most famous Ponzi scheme violators.

Question 6

Most credit card abuse is the work of skilled professionals with nearly 85 percent of crimes occurring among five highly skilled credit card rings.

Question 7

Most theft offenses are committed by trained professionals who know what they are doing and escape detection.

Question 8

Organizational or corporate crime involves illegal business practices such as price fixing, restraint of trade, and false advertising.

Question 9

By the eighteenth century, three separate groups of property criminals were active; these were skilled thieves, smugglers, and poachers.

Question 10

A buyer and seller of stolen merchandise is referred to as a fence.

Question 11

Boosters or heels steal goods for the intention of reselling for a profit.

Question 12

Fewer than 10 percent of shoplifting incidents are detected by store employees.

Question 13

Economic crimes were even punished 3,000 years ago in the Code of Hammurabi.

Question 14

Criminologists view amateur shoplifters as people who are most likely to reform if apprehended.

Question 15

FBI records more than 6 million acts of larceny annually.

Question 16

Green-collar crimes involve violations of laws designed to protect the environment.

Question 17

Crimes that affect the environment are called red-collar crimes.

Question 18

Exploiters force victims to pay for services to which victims have no clear right.

Question 19

It is estimated that the cost of white-collar crime is about $660 billion annually.

Question 20

The definition of larceny evolved with the growth of manufacturing and the development of the free enterprise system.

Question 21

Which of the following is not true about larceny?

A) ​Most U.S. state criminal codes separate larceny into petty and grand larceny
B) ​Both the UCR and NCVS depict a steady increase in the number and rate of larcenies during the past decade
C) ​The FBI records more than 6 million acts of larceny annually
D) ​The original definition of larceny did not include the misappropriation of goods by trickery or deceit

Question 22

The number of state-funded technical assistance offices to help local prosecutors has decreased significantly with less than 20 states offering such services.

Question 23

Oil spills and water pollution are examples of green-collar crimes.

Question 24

This eighteenth century criminal group often worked in large cities and included pickpockets and forgers.

A) Skilled thieves
B) Smugglers
C) Poachers
D) Pirates

Question 25

Pharmacists have been known to alter prescriptions or substitute low-cost generic drugs for more expensive name brands. This is an example of which category of white-collar crime?

A) Professional chiseling
B) Churning
C) Employee fraud
D) Influence peddling

Question 26

Client fraud involves cheating an organization by filing false claims for reimbursement for services provided or, conversely, failing to pay what is owed.

Question 27

An example of chiseling is the charging for goods and services that the customer never received.

Question 28

Violators identified by the EPA or other agencies of green-collar crimes are typically prosecuted by the U.S. Justice Department.
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Question 29

The Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act of 1986 required companies to disclose all information about child sexual predator who were volunteers or paid employees.

Question 30

Corporate culture theory suggests that some businesses actually encourage employees to cheat or cut corners.

Question 31

Legislation called _______________________ laws protect retailers and their employees from lawsuits if they arrest and detain a suspected shoplifter on reasonable grounds.

A) ​merchant privilege
B) ​booster
C) ​right-to-protect
D) ​service provider

Question 32

Amateur shoplifter who does not self-identify as a thief but who systematically steals merchandise for personal use.

A) Snitch
B) Stilth
C) Scout
D) Fitch

Question 33

The Oil Protection Act of 1990 was established after the high-profile Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska.

Question 34

Martha is upset at Catherine over the dinner bill the night before. Martha believes Catherine should have split the bill but she failed to pay any portion. Martha and Catherine work together at a local telemarketing center and Martha sneaks to Catherine's desk to take $20 from her purse. In terms of larcenies, this would be ______.

A) ​petty larceny
B) ​constructive larceny
C) ​grand larceny
D) ​destructive larceny

Question 35

Edward Alsworth coined this term to describe the kind of person who hides behind his or her image as a pillar of the community to get personal gain through any means necessary.

A) Criminaloid
B) Poacher
C) Chameleon
D) Situational offender

Question 36

A loophole that many green-collar criminals have found with the Endangered Species Act of 1973 is that it only protects the animals and not the species' habitat.

Question 37

The Clean Water Act of 1972 maintains goals and standards for the United States to ensure water quality and purity.

Question 38

Offenders who do not define themselves by a criminal role are called ______.

A) ​occasional criminals
B) ​transparent criminals
C) ​situational criminals
D) ​professional criminals

Question 39

Crimes that affect the environment are called ____________-collar crimes.

A) ​green
B) ​white
C) ​red
D) ​blue

Question 40

In the late 1930s, the distinguished criminologist __________ first used the phrase "white-collar crime" to describe the criminal activities of the rich and powerful.

A) Cesare Lombroso
B) Emile Durkheim
C) Edwin Lemert
D) Edwin Sutherland

Question 41

__________ involves illegal activities of people and institutions whose acknowledged purpose is profit through legitimate business transactions.

A) Organized crime
B) Enterprise crime
C) White-collar crime
D) Cyber crime

Question 42

While exploiters are extortionists who force victims to pay for services to which they are legally entitled, _______________ take bribes in exchange for granting favors.

A) ​peddlers
B) ​twizzlers
C) ​chislers
D) ​pirates

Question 43

Which of the following is not one of the environmental laws discussed in the text?

A) ​Natural Gas and Anti-Fracking Act
B) ​Clean Water Act
C) ​Endangered Species Act
D) ​Oil Pollution Act

Question 44

Which of the following is true about shoplifting?

A) Research has shown that items which play a role in the illicit drug are the ones stolen most often.
B) About 45 percent of all shoplifters are professionals.
C) ​It is estimated that the professional shoplifter makes between 500,000 and 800,000 dollars a year from their illegal activity.
D) ​On average, about 75,000 people annually are arrested for shoplifting, down from 100,000 in the 1990s.

Question 45

Bernard Madoff has been referred to as the greatest ____ of all time.

A) influence peddler
B) pilferer
C) exploiter
D) Ponzi schemer

Question 46

Which of the following is not true about auto thefts and automobiles?

A) Every state requires owners to insure vehicles.
B) Fewer cars are being taken today and fewer cars are being recovered than a decade ago.
C) FBI records about 700,000 auto thefts per year.
D) The average loss from auto theft is about $4 billion a year.

Question 47

Forcing victims to pay for services or contracts to which they have a clear right is called ______.

A) ​exploitation
B) ​peddling
C) ​chiseling
D) ​profiteering

Question 48

Professional check forgers who make a living by passing bad checks are called ______.

A) ​systematic forgers
B) ​bellowing forgers
C) ​Abagnale forgers
D) ​naive forgers

Question 49

The willful, malicious burning of a home, building, or vehicle.

A) Arson
B) Incendiarism
C) Burglary
D) Blowbacking

Question 50

The ____________________ Act is a federal law that subjects to criminal and civil sanctions any person who shall make any contract or engage in any combination or conspiracy in restraint of interstate commerce.

A) ​Sherman Antitrust
B) ​Interstate Commerce
C) ​Lautenberg
D) ​Illegal Restraint

Question 51

Which of the following is true in regard to recent research by the National White Collar Crime Center?

A) About 17 percent of individuals reported experiencing at least one form of white-collar crime.
B) About 80 percent of white-collar crimes are reported to police.
C) White-collar crime is viewed as a less serious crime by the general public.
D) All of the above are true.

Question 52

Travis Hirschi and Michael Gottfredson claim white-collar crime is relatively rare because, as a matter of course, business executives tend to hire people with ___.

A) business experience
B) self-control
C) strong morals
D) cultural values

Question 53

Which of the following is not true about burglary?

A) According to the UCR, just over 5 million burglaries now occur each year in the United States.
B) ​The legal definition of burglary has undergone considerable change since its common-law origins.
C) ​Most residential burglaries occur during the day.
D) Those most likely to be burglarized are poor Hispanic and African American families.

Question 54

Edwin Lemert conducted one of the best-known studies on which form of larceny nearly 60 years ago?

A) Check fraud
B) Shoplifting
C) Auto theft
D) Credit card theft

Question 55

Illegal buying of stock in a company on the basis of information provided by someone who has a fiduciary interest in the company is known as _______.

A) ​insider trading
B) ​exploitation
C) ​peddling
D) ​chiseling

Question 56

A Ponzi scheme is one type of ______ whereby people swindle money with payments of returns earned from new investors.

A) corporate crime
B) white-collar fraud
C) financial chiseling
D) employee fraud

Question 57

______________ involves using illegal means to cheat an organization, its consumers, or both, on a regular basis.

A) Chiseling
B) Notching
C) Carving
D) Scoring

Question 58

Amateurs who cash bad checks because of some financial crisis but have little identification with a criminal subculture are called ______.

A) ​naive check forgers
B) ​systemic forgers
C) ​systematic forgers
D) ​simple forgers

Question 59

A buyer and seller of stolen merchandise is often referred to as a ______.

A) ​shark
B) ​picket
C) ​fence
D) ​heise

Question 60

The taking of goods from a retail store.

A) Shoplifting
B) Nicking
C) Pilfering
D) Pinching

Question 61

According to the text, offenders who make a significant portion of their income from crime are referred to as ______________ criminals.

Question 62

__________________ is the taking of goods from retail stores.

Question 63

The criminal investigation division of the EPA investigates which of the following crimes?

A) ​Mail fraud
B) ​Wire fraud
C) ​Illegal disposal of hazardous waste
D) ​All of the above

Question 64

To encourage the arrest of shoplifters, a number of states have passed ___________________ designed to offer retailers and their employees some protection from lawsuits stemming from improper or false arrests of suspected shoplifters.

Question 65

Crimes that effect the environment are referred to as _______________ crimes.

Question 66

Traditional common law theft crimes such as larceny, burglary, and arson are called ________________ crimes.

Question 67

Professional shoplifters who steal with the intention of reselling stolen merchandise are called ________________________​.

Question 68

Under English common law, _____________ was defined as the taking of another person's property without their permission or consent.

Question 69

A legal fiction known as ____________ applies to situations in which persons voluntarily give up physical custody of their property but still retain legal ownership.

Question 70

In regard to eighteenth century English property crime, individuals who moved freely in sparsely populated areas and transported goods, such as spirits and spices, without paying taxes were known as _________________.

Question 71

In 2015, Daniel is arrested for running a Ponzi scheme in which he swindled nearly $2 million from investors. This crime would be considered a _______.

A) ​white-collar crime
B) ​blue-collar crime
C) ​green-collar crime
D) ​none of the above

Question 72

Theft of money or property of substantial value and punished as a felony is known as ________________​.

Question 73

Daniel Lee is a college professor at a mid-sized university in Maryland. He ran for city council and won in 2014 and his wife is the head of the PTA at his child's grade school. Both he, and his wife, are respected members of the community. Answer the following questions with this information. Dan's wife, Lisa, is caught shoplifting a purse from Macy's and is arrested. Given her social status, which of the following types of thieves would Lisa fall into?

A) Snitch
B) Booster
C) Heel
D) Fence

Question 74

___________________ is an act committed in violation of the criminal law for the purpose of monetary gain and financial benefits.

Question 75

In reference to blue-collar criminals, offenders who do not define themselves by a criminal role or view themselves as committed to career criminals are called _________________ criminals.

Question 76

Theft of a small amount of money or property, punished as a misdemeanor is known as _____________________.

Question 77

___________________ refers to short-term influence on a person's behavior, such as financial problems or peer pressure, which increases risk taking.

Question 78

A ______________ is an amateur shoplifter who does not self-identify as a thief but who systematically steals merchandise for personal use.

Question 79

Entering a home by force, threat, or deception with intent to commit a crime is called ______________.

Question 80

Which of the following is not true in regard to deterrence strategies for white-collar criminals?

A) Strategies are aimed at creating conditions that induce conformity to the law.
B) Deterrence systems are oriented toward apprehension and punishments.
C) Justice system personnel now consider white-collar criminals as more serious than common-law thefts.
D) Both fines and penalties have been increasing.