Table of ContentsWhite Collar CrimesCorporate FraudConclusion White Collar CrimesForensic accountants often investigate white collar crimes. White-collar crime was first introduced in 1939 by Edwin H. Sutherland, an American sociologist. Sunderland found that white-collar crimes were usually committed by a person of respectable or high social status in the course of their employment. The main types of white collar crimes are corporate fraud, Ponzi schemes, embezzlement, extortion, money laundering, identity theft and counterfeiting. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Corporate FraudOne of the major white-collar crimes that forensic accountants investigate is corporate fraud. Through the manipulation of a company's financial data, a company's value, stock price, and financial performance are manipulated to make the company's performance appear favorable to investors, employees and to other people. Manipulation of financial records can include falsified or off-the-book accounting entries and financial statements, evasion of regulatory oversight, insider trading, and tax violations. One of the biggest cases of corporate fraud involves Enron. Enron, an energy trader and supplier, was established in 1985. In 1999, they created a trading website focused on buying, selling, and trading energy products. Enron was a party to every transaction on the trading site as a buyer or seller. By late 2000, Enron was beginning to collapse financially, but its CEO, Jeffrey Skilling, was hiding his losses. They were able to deceive regulators by using unofficial accounting methods called market-to-market accounting, which makes it appear that the company is reporting higher profits than it actually earned. They also created special purpose entities, which is not illegal, but they used these entities to hide their distressed assets, thereby keeping them on Enron's financial books. Enron's auditing firm, Arthur Anderson, knowingly signed off on the financial statements even though it was aware of their questionable accounting practices. Thanks to the work of federal forensic accountants, numerous criminal charges and guilty pleas for charges ranging from wire and securities fraud to insider trading and conspiracy. Conclusion White-collar crimes are financially motivated, non-violent crimes committed by businesses, individuals, and government professionals. According to the FBI, the motivation behind these crimes is to obtain or avoid losing money or property for personal or business purposes. White-collar crimes are often considered crimes of privilege and often go unnoticed due to the criminals' relative power and status in society, usually because they are high-ranking corporate executives with influence and resources..