Chapter 11

What are economic crimes?

Crimes committed to obtain financial or material gain

What are street crimes?

Crimes that prey on the public through theft property damage or violence

What basic pattern compares property crime with violent crime?

Property crimes occur about four times as often as violent crimes

What were thief-takers flash houses and Bow Street Runners?

Thief-takers were reward-based private police and flash houses were criminal taverns while Bow Street Runners used improved records and investigations

What is an occasional criminal?

An amateur who drifts into low-level crime when an opportunity arises

What is a situational inducement?

A temporary opportunity or pressure that encourages someone to offend

What is a professional criminal?

An offender who earns a significant income through skilled and continuing crime

What is professional theft?

Skilled nonviolent theft designed to maximize profit and avoid arrest

How do professional criminals usually develop?

They learn from experienced offenders and continue offending after peers stop or acquire skills in prison

What did Sutherland mean by a professional thief?

A skilled offender who lives by crime and relies on intelligence rather than violence

What were Sutherland’s named thief types?

The cannon was a pickpocket and the heel was a sneak thief and the booster was a shoplifter and the pennyweighter was a jewel thief and the hotel prowl stole from rooms and the shakedown artist used extortion

What is a fence?

A person who buys stolen property and resells it to legitimate or criminal buyers

What did Sam Goodman say a successful fence needs?

Cash and bargaining skill and reliable suppliers and buyers and connections with law enforcement

What are the main nonprofessional fence types?

Part-time merchants and associational contacts and neighbourhood hustlers

What is larceny?

Taking and carrying away another person’s property with the intent to steal

What is constructive possession?

The owner gives someone temporary custody but legally continues to own the property

How does Canadian law divide theft?

It separates theft under five thousand dollars from theft over five thousand dollars

What is shoplifting?

Taking merchandise from a store without paying for it

What is the difference between a booster and a snitch?

A booster is a professional shoplifter while a snitch is an amateur who views themselves as respectable

What are employee theft and theft of time and wage theft?

Employee theft takes workplace property and theft of time takes unearned pay while wage theft occurs when employers illegally withhold compensation

What are merchant privilege laws?

Laws allowing retailers to reasonably detain suspected shoplifters without automatic liability

What are the main shoplifting prevention strategies?

Target removal hides real goods and target hardening secures them while situational controls increase surveillance

What are the five motives for auto theft?

Joyriding and short-term travel and long-term use and profit and committing another crime

What is joyriding?

Stealing a vehicle temporarily for excitement prestige or peer approval

What are chop shops and professional auto theft?

Chop shops dismantle stolen cars while professional thieves alter or export vehicles for profit

Why is auto theft called a precursor offence?

Youth first arrested for auto theft have an increased risk of continued offending

How do rational car thieves choose vehicles?

They target luxury vehicles and exportable models and older cars with valuable interchangeable parts

What is vehicle rebirthing?

Placing a legitimate vehicle identification number from a wreck onto a stolen vehicle

What is carjacking?

Stealing an occupied vehicle through force or threats which makes it a form of robbery

What methods are most effective against auto theft?

Immobilizers and tracking systems and bait cars and secure parking reduce opportunities while Bill S-9 targets trafficking and exports

What are false pretences or fraud?

Using deception to make a victim willingly surrender property unlike larceny where property is taken without consent

What is a romance scam?

A fake relationship used to persuade a victim to send money or valuable property

What are confidence games and the pigeon drop?

Confidence games gain a victim’s trust while the pigeon drop requests good-faith money before sharing supposedly found cash

What are common telemarketing scams?

Lottery and prize and advance-fee loan and vacation and charity and antivirus and tax and credit card scams

What is identity theft and what was Shadowcrew?

Identity theft uses stolen personal information for gain while Shadowcrew was an online market for stolen cards and identity documents

What are phishing and spoofing?

Phishing uses fake messages or websites to steal information while spoofing copies trusted branding to appear legitimate

What is the difference between naive and systematic cheque forgers?

Naive forgers offend during financial stress while systematic forgers earn continuing income from fraudulent cheques

What is ATM skimming?

Using hidden devices to capture a bank card’s information and the user’s personal identification number

How do amateur and professional credit card offenders differ?

Amateurs briefly use stolen cards while professional rings steal data and clone cards through organized international schemes

What is embezzlement?

Fraudulently keeping property that was legally entrusted to the offender

What is break and enter?

Unlawfully entering a structure to commit an indictable offence

Why is break and enter more serious than ordinary theft?

Unauthorized entry creates a risk of confrontation and violence

What are the three main break and enter locations?

Residences and businesses and other structures such as sheds or garages

What is the burglary career ladder?

Burglars may progress from novice to journeyperson and finally to skilled professional

Why do burglars return to previous targets?

They know the layout and entry routes and expect stolen goods to be replaced

How do female burglars often differ from male burglars?

Women more often work with partners and avoid auto theft and commit fewer offences and are frequently introduced through boyfriends

What is arson?

The intentional or reckless burning of a home vehicle public structure or commercial property

What is arson fraud?

Burning insured property to collect money escape debt conceal crime or eliminate competition

What are the four juvenile fire setter types?

Playing-with-matches and crying-for-help and delinquent and severely disturbed fire setters

What are flashover and cybervandalism?

Flashover is accidental heat-driven ignition that can resemble arson while cybervandalism uses computers or malware to damage property or systems