Petty Crimes to Save Money are on the Rise, As Are the Fines and Odds of Getting Caught

Posted on | November 8, 2010 | 3 Comments

When money gets tight, people get frugal. And when frugal doesn’t cut it, some people get…criminal. None of these crimes below are new. However, with the recession, foreclosures, and the loss of jobs, these crimes are becoming more popular to commit. At the same time, the fines for committing these crimes have increased as well as the odds of getting caught.

While I am all about saving money, I obviously do not encourage any of these illegal activities. Instead of turning criminal, check out my alternatives below so that you can still save money, but legally.

1. Illegally Downloading Music: This used to be all the rage when I was in college, but in recent years the courts are cracking down on this and understandably so. The latest case is of a woman fined $1.5 million for sharing over 1,700 tracks on Kazaa. Under federal law, record companies are allowed a restitution of $750 to $30,000 per infringement. The typical fine you are likely to encounter if caught is $3,500.

Alternative: There are other ways to get free or discounted tunes. There are several websites that offer free MP3 downloads legally, and you may wish to check out amazon.com because they have a free song of the day each day. Around the holidays, drugstores offer in-store credits like ExtraCare Bucks and Register Rewards when you purchase iTunes gift cards, so stock up.

2. Cheating on Taxes: The government is cracking down on people cheating on their taxes. People with overseas accounts must now fill out a lot more paperwork, 100 new IRS employees have been hired in order to find and go after tax cheaters, and the IRS has upped the reward to individuals who snitch on others.

Alternative: You’re not going to get out of paying your taxes. You can evade sales taxes by using coupons (depending on what state you are in), and you can hire an accountant/research to make sure you are taking advantage of all your eligible tax credits and deductions. Your best bet is to plan ahead and make sure you budget for your taxes so that you don’t end up owing money you cannot pay. If employed by someone else, are you getting a large chunk of money back each April, or owing money every year? If either of these scenarios describes your tax season, you may wish to work with your HR department to modify your withholdings. Even if you cannot pay what you owe, face up to it, and work out a payment plan with the IRS.

3. Tampering with Electric Meters: It may seem tempting to break the seal on your electric meter and save yourself money on heating your two-story home this winter, but tampering with your meter is illegal.

Alternative: Choose to cut your electricity bills the legal way. Unplug your appliances when they are not in use. Turn off the television. Wear sweaters this winter and hold off on turning on your heat. You can make your home or apartment energy efficient and save yourself money the legal way.

4. Abandoning Animals:  My family was the recipient of many abandoned animals at our dairy farm. It was always fun to wake up on Saturday mornings to a box of kittens at the end of our driveway, or the occasional puppy wandering around. Now as an adult I realize how thrilled my parents must have been with the added expense. The peak in foreclosures is the reason for the spike in abandoned animals of late. But doing so is illegal in most states, not to mention immoral.

Alternative: There are many alternatives here. You can start with cutting down on pet expenses, and seeing whether or not you qualify for vet assistance based on your income. If you cannot make ends meet, post an ad and ask friends or family if they know anyone who would like to adopt your pet. Perhaps you can find a foster family until you get back on your feet. If all else fails, give your pet to a shelter. Chances are good your pet may be euthanized based on age and the population of the facility, but at least it will not die by other inhumane means.

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Comments

3 Responses to “Petty Crimes to Save Money are on the Rise, As Are the Fines and Odds of Getting Caught”

  1. Jill
    November 8th, 2010 @ 7:44 pm

    Whenever times get tough I always begin to worry about the extremes people will go to. I am beginning to believe that some think they won’t get caught. Why risk it in the first place? I know many states are experiencing overcrowding in jails, but I wouldn’t take a chance. Great advice on alternatives. I didn’t even think about all the pets that get abandoned during rough economic times. Made me a little sad.
    Jill recently posted..Mixing Personal Finances with Personal Relationships

    [Reply]

    Amanda L Grossman Reply:
    November 9th, 2010 at 8:25 am

    Hello Jill!

    Thank you for your thoughts. It is quite sad to think about the abandoned animals out there. Hopefully more people will open up their homes to them!

    [Reply]

  2. Carroll B. Merriman
    November 14th, 2010 @ 12:52 pm

    Apple now has Rhapsody as an app, which is a great start, but it is currently hampered by the inability to store locally on your iPod, and has a dismal 64kbps bit rate. If this changes, then it will somewhat negate this advantage for the Zune, but the 10 songs per month will still be a big plus in Zune Pass’ favor.

    [Reply]

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