It relates the prototypes of Sutherland's professional thief and Lemert's systematic check-forger to a framework based on contemporary data. The discussion takes into account the family of crimes functionally linked to the particular crime wave under discussion, the organization of wallet theft and false bank account opening, the market of stolen credit cards, and the internal structure of the 'laying paper racket,' as Sutherland called it. An extensive typology of quantity frauds is also suggested. The analysis involved observer participation on the specific investigation within a specialized police squad as well as free access to relevant 'operational' data. Nineteen references are provided. (Author abstract modified)