Everyone knows the saying White Collar Criminal (think Bernie Madoff or a young, male hedge fund trader in Showtime's Billions), but when Kelly Paxton, Certified Fraud Examiner and Licensed Private Investigator, mentions Pink Collar Criminal people have a puzzled look.

“The term pink-collar crime was popularized by Dr. Kathleen Daly during the 1980s to describe embezzlement type crimes that typically were committed by females based on limited opportunity,” explains Kelly Paxton. “In this context, women were more likely to have committed low-level crimes such as check kiting and bookkeeping fraud from positions of less power compared to men who had engaged in acts of white-collar crime.”

“Most people don’t realize it, but they probably are neighbors, co-workers, friends or acquaintances with either a Pink Collar Criminal or someone who has been embezzled by a Pink Collar Criminal. A Pink Collar Criminal can be a PTA mom, your dentist’s office manager, even someone’s grandma. The statistics on Pink Collar Criminals are alarming. According to the FBI, male embezzlers have increased only 4 percent since 1990 while Pink Collar Criminals have increased over 40 percent during that time period.”

Kelly Paxton helps businesses and individuals understand fraud. Here, Kelly Paxton talks about fraud and Pink Collar Crime with Trent Russell on the Audit Podcast.

Interested in learning more from Kelly? Join her at the Women’s Virtual Leadership Summit on Tuesday, September 8, where she will show you what to look for in your business to make sure your most trusted employee is not a Pink Collar Criminal.

Kelly Paxton is a Certified Fraud Examiner, Private Investigator, podcast host and founder of Great Women in Fraud.