What comes to mind when you think about gangs? For most people in Virginia, things like tattoos, drive-by shootings, knife-fights and street violence come to mind. However, in some parts of the country, gangsters are turning away from street violence and toward white collar crime.

Identity theft, credit card fraud, insurance fraud, tax fraud and other white collar crimes are starting to pique the interest of many gang members. One police sergeant said that gangs "have discovered that fraud practices are relatively easy and worthwhile based on the money to be made."

That may be true initially, but gang members who are convicted of white collar crimes could face penalties that are comparable to those given for violent crimes.

One police officer said that gang members used to be easy to identify because of their tattoos, colored clothing and hand signs. However, many gang members have become "more sophisticated in their structure and operations and are modifying their activity to minimize law enforcement scrutiny and circumvent gang enhancement laws."

Gang members who have girlfriends who work in government, doctors' or dentists' offices are often able to collect personal information through those channels. Other gangsters buy credit card information from restaurant employees.

Many gangs have also started using social media. Members use social networking sites to recruit new members. However, they also use the sites to threaten and intimidate rivals, and to make their presence known. In some situations, online threats even lead to physical violence and retaliation.

Some people think of white collar crimes as less serious because there is often no direct victim. However, gang members who are arrested on suspicion of fraud or identity theft may face felony charges and hefty prison sentences.

Source: news-press.com, "Southwest Florida gangs eschew street for Internet," Marisa Kendall, Jan. 16, 2012