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唐朱昌
教授，博士生导师。复旦大学中国反洗钱研究中心首任主任，复旦大学俄...

严立新
复旦大学国际金融学院教授，中国反洗钱研究中心执行主任，陆家嘴金...

陈浩然
复旦大学法学院教授、博士生导师；复旦大学国际刑法研究中心主任。...

何　萍
华东政法大学刑法学教授，复旦大学中国反洗钱研究中心特聘研究员，荷...

李小杰
安永金融服务风险管理、咨询总监，曾任蚂蚁金服反洗钱总监，复旦大学...

周锦贤
周锦贤先生，香港人，广州暨南大学法律学士，复旦大学中国反洗钱研究中...

童文俊
高级经济师，复旦大学金融学博士，复旦大学经济学博士后。现供职于中...

汤　俊
武汉中南财经政法大学信息安全学院教授。长期专注于反洗钱/反恐...

李　刚
生辰：1977.7.26 籍贯：辽宁抚顺民族：汉党派：九三学社职称：教授研究...

祝亚雄
祝亚雄，1974年生，浙江衢州人。浙江师范大学经济与管理学院副教授，博...

顾卿华
复旦大学中国反洗钱研究中心特聘研究员；现任安永管理咨询服务合伙...

张平
工作履历：曾在国家审计署从事审计工作，是国家第一批政府审计师；曾在...

上传时间： 2015-03-16 浏览次数：895次

Utah Plans Registry for White-Collar Criminals to Stop Fraud

Mon, Mar 16, 2015

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/utah-plans-registry-white-collar-criminals-stop-fraud-29638204

In the same way a customer searching for a new laptop might consult Consumer Reports before making a purchase, Attorney General Sean Reyes wants would-be investors to consult a resource listing convicted fraudsters before handing over any money.

"People are extremely trusting in our state," Reyes said. "But that trust can be easily exploited."

It was Utah's high rate of affinity fraud, in which someone takes advantage of a trusted relationship, that led Reyes to team up with lawmakers to authorize a state-run registry of white-collar criminals.

The registry would operate similarly to a sex-offender registry, listing the names, photographs, aliases, birthdates and convictions of scammers with certain first- or second-degree felonies.

The listing is not meant to punish or shame criminals, Reyes said, but simply to provide another tool to help prevent financial loss in vulnerable populations.

And in a critical difference for the registry for sex crimes, the white-collar criminals would not be required to report their listing to employers or neighbors. A name will be removed from the catalog if the criminal pays full restitution.

The attorney general said the largely homogenous culture in Utah, where a majority of people are Mormon, contributes to the state's high fraud levels.

Perpetrators of financial fraud are often wily, narcissistic and manipulative, Reyes said. In a group with shared cultural bonds, like a branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, people let their guard down.

"All it takes is a predator to walk among them" in such a location for a community to suffer great financial loss, Reyes said.

Once they work their way into a tight-knit group, scammers are able to easily exploit bonds among its members. Reyes said the criminals sometimes start with steps to establish credibility within the community, like offering a genuine deal to some of the most respected members.

Then the criminal gets those members to sell the idea to others, unwittingly participating in a fraud. As more people sign on, the theft begins.

The registry is the first of its kind, and other state governments have already expressed interest, the attorney general said.

All information in the registry is already public and appears in court records and news reports. Reyes says his database will be more user-friendly than court records and not subject to alteration, like Google and other search engines.

Despite that, a representative of the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah said he has a number of concerns with the legislation that authorized the registry, which will become official with Republican Gov. Gary Herbert's signature. Herbert has indicated that he plans to sign the bill.

Although a person's misdeeds are already documented, being in a registry "puts a stigma on people that is above and beyond" appropriate punishment, ACLU Utah Legal Director John Mejia said.

Being listed in a registry, he said, is like wearing a scarlet letter, and it may discourage or hinder criminals who want to reintegrate into society. It might also make the criminals a target for discrimination, even though that's not an intended consequence, Mejia said.

In addition, Mejia said he doesn't believe that such tactics are effective. His experience of sex-offender registries shows that they do little to reduce crime rates and may create a false sense of security for citizens, he said.