The invisibility of white-collar crime is "disturbing" and "reflects the low profile it has had", the report says.
Three factors keep it under the surface, the forum decided. One was the public attitude. "Not unrelated to that perception is the fact that nobody in Ireland has ever been imprisoned for tax evasion, although it has been a criminal offence since 1945."
The second was the fact that crimes were committed by "the relatively powerful - people with money and other resources, who can use their power and resources to protect themselves from the glare of publicity."
The third was the secretive, often complex nature of whitecollar crime. This type of crime had become more high profile recently, especially since the legislation on money-laundering and the setting up of the Criminal Assets Bureau.
However, white-collar criminals were less likely than others to be imprisoned, even though there was evidence from the US that prison is particularly effective as a deterrent. Just 8 per cent of fraud cases were taken to court, partly because of company reluctance to prosecute suspected fraudsters.
"Until attitudes change to the point where all forms of dishonest and illegal behaviour are almost universally considered anti-social and undesirable, there will continue to be a lack of focus in the public mood which will prevent it from effectively driving the political agenda in the direction of measures against white-collar crime."
It was important to send out the message that white-collar crime should be taken as seriously and treated as severely as other crimes. A specialised unit and training for gardai should be considered.