The Impact of the Coronavirus Pandemic on the Commission of White-Collar Crimes by Ordinary Citizens

Abstract

The white-collar frauds have seen an increase in recent years, while the emerging of new digital technologies contributed to an increase of the financial frauds, especially during the global financial crisis of 2008 and in time of coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. This article reviews the white-collar scams that gained momentum during the coronavirus pandemic and examines why ordinary people turned into ‘white-collar criminals’ during this period. The main finding is that the pandemic crisis led to an economic crisis, while people was more focused on committed financial frauds in order to guarantee the economic welfare of their families or the business’ survival.

Keywords

• scams
• financial fraud
• white-collar criminality
• ponzi schemes