Origins, Pursuits and Careers of Telemarketing Predators'

• NCJ Number: 197061
• Author(s): Neal Shover; Glenn S. Coffey
• Date Published: 2001
• Length: 25 pages
• Grant Number(s): 2000-IJ-CX-0028
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)

Annotation

This report addresses telemarketing fraud and the lives, careers, and perspectives of telemarketing fraud offenders.

Abstract

Addressing the issue of telemarketing fraud, this report details the lives, careers, and perspectives of telemarketing fraud offenders. After arguing that technological changes have led to expanded opportunities for white collar crime in the United States, the authors focusing on telemarketing fraud describe the data presented in this report as semi-structured interviews with 47 telemarketing fraud offenders convicted of Federal crimes. Research findings indicate that most telemarketing fraud offenses are conducted by the coordinated efforts of two or more individuals. The offenders themselves come from overwhelmingly “traditional” families and demonstrate low levels of prior criminality. Initially attracted to the profession of telemarketing for its good pay, flexible hours, and lack of dress codes, telemarketing offenders employ a range of mitigating explanations and excuses for their offenses, often denying engaging in criminal decision making. Furthermore, most criminal telemarketers imagine that they may be able to continue their criminal behaviors indefinitely. Arguing that crime control programs are necessary to reduce telemarketing crime, the authors conclude that telemarketing crimes are well suited to the individualistic, market society found in the United States. References