Definition: White-collar crime is a criminal act that arises from opportunities created by a person’s social position, especially their occupation. White-collar crime is significant sociologically because of the perception that white-collar criminals tend to be middle- and upper-middle-class and because of a class bias in the criminal justice system, their crimes are generally viewed as less serious and less deserving of punishment.

Examples: Examples of white-collar crime include expense account padding, embezzlement, tax fraud, false advertising, and the use of insider trading in stock market trading.