White-collar crimes are those crimes specifically performed by professional workers. They include certain forms of fraud, insider trading, embezzlement, Computer crime and forgery.
It is estimated that a great deal of white collar crime is undetected.
Such crimes are often contrasted against violent crimes (such as rape or murder) or blue-collar crime (such as vandalism or shoplifting). The term derives from the characteristic white-collar shirts worn by lawyers, bankers and other professionals associated with such crimes.
