The National White Collar Crime Center just released its 2010 National Public Survey on White Collar Crime, and while the findings were not really surprising, they did seem to offer some proof of where we might be failing.

The study of approximately 2,500 U.S. households was conducted in June of this year.  Respondents were asked about their experiences within their households concerning white collar crime within the past 12 months. The study asked about things like mortgage fraud, credit card fraud, identity theft, unnecessary home or auto repairs, price misrepresentation, and losses that occurred due to false stockbroker information, fraudulent business ventures, and Internet scams.

The study found that nearly one in every four households and nearly one of every five individuals reported experiencing at least one form of these victimizations within the previous year. The most common crimes reported resulted from credit card fraud, price misrepresentation, and unnecessary repairs

From a reporting perspective, 54.7% of the crimes were reported to at least one organization, like a credit card provider or consumer protection agency, but only 11.7% were reported to law enforcement.

The perceptions of victims were also surveyed, with some interesting responses. For example:

• Respondents viewed white collar crime as slightly more serious than traditional crime.
• Offenses committed at the organizational level were viewed more harshly than those committed by individuals.
• Crimes committed by high-status offenders (those in a position of trust) were seen as more troubling than those committed by low-status persons.

The study concluded that the majority of victims believed that white collar crime has contributed to the current economic crisis (didn’t say if any believed it was contributed by the current economic crisis) and nearly half of the participants said the government is not devoting enough resources to combat white collar crimes.

RELATED STORY: One in Four Households Victim of White Collar Crime
http://www.walletpop.com/2010/12/13/one-in-4-households-victim-of-white-collar-crime-report/

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