Forget about that silly old saying “crime doesn’t pay” and look at the crimes that pay the most in our list of 10 most profitable crimes to commit!
Money makes the world go round, and the world of crime is no exception to that rule. Surely you don’t think all those criminal acts would be happening just because someone feels like it? No, we’re talking big bucks here. Despite the fact that some people turned to crime because the very nature of it appealed to them, the main motive behind all that is the same as with any honest job – getting those green bills. However, those who start thinking how to start a life of crime haven’t become rich the regular way usually due to, what they would like to call, “some circumstances.
Africa Studio/Shutterstock.com
Still, it doesn’t mean you can become a wealthy criminal without any effort! You can earn some money for sure with some easy crimes to commit such as con tricks and best illegal hustles to make money fast or easiest frauds to commit and make money. However, quick cash crimes don’t come even close to the figures we’ll be mentioning. Just to get your attention after all this prep talk, we’re not talking millions here. We’ll be discussing billions of American dollars! Therefore, there are no lucrative petty crimes on this list. As with any other profitable job, it’s all about serious organizations and “working long hours.” Maybe you could also find your place in 10 Biggest Illegal Industries and Black Markets in the World.
To find suggestions for our list, we went through similar lists of most lucrative crimes, usually international. Our sources were The Richest, CNBC, 247WallSt and, Strategy&. The figures we were given represent the average annual income from illegal activities. Still, the annual revenue could be rather interpreted as the market’s worth, since the profits and costs of, let’s say, an illegal kidney usually aren’t noted down in the unfortunate business. Surely, how much an individual earns from them pretty much depends on his/her position in the crime chain. Either way, career-wise you’re always trying to apply for companies which are famous for being the most successful and wealthy in the market. The same principle goes here. If you’re looking for low risk high return crimes, we’ll have to disappoint you. The bigger the risk, the higher the income.
In the case of natural resources illegal trade, we opted for analyzing the separate resources (oil, timber etc.) rather than focusing on all of them. By the way, here is one very interesting fact. When you think about it, all this income is illegal, and completely tax-free. Perhaps the figures would’ve been different if there was a way of doing the civic duty. Think about it while you’re reading the stunning data. We know your government isn’t too happy about it.
Once we collected all the data, the only thing left to be done was to arrange them from the least to the most beneficial. Without further ado, while we’re pretending/hoping you’re just reading this out of curiosity and not for future career prospects, here are 10 most profitable crimes to commit!
