Think Twice Before Defrauding The Government!

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Defrauding the government is one of the most heinous crimes that anyone can commit. In actual fact, people who perpetrate such an act are stealing from their fellow countrymen, who work hard all year round to pay the taxes, and place their trust in the government agencies charged with dispersing their tax dollars that they are doing so efficiently and with the minimum of waste and shrinkage.

Government employees who embezzle money are few and far between; possibly because very few have access to hard cash. However anyone in a position of responsibility in certain departments will find a way to make illegal gains if they are that way inclined. These forms of fraud are indigent and really hard to trace. Casual estimates are that around 5% of annual tax disbursements are being frittered away through passive forms of fraud.

Some of the most common forms of fraud include: * Allowing suppliers working in collusion to bill the same service several times and pocketing the difference; * Allowing suppliers working in collusion to bill for expensive equipment or supplies, when lower or even sub standard merchandise is supplied; * Allowing suppliers working in collusion to bill for equipment that has not been supplied; * Allowing suppliers working in collusion to carry out work or deliver goods and supplies for personal use; * Submitting highly inflated personal expenses; and * Making expense mistakes and miscalculations.

These are just a few examples of frauds taking place in federal entities, and which the government agencies are very interested in seeing stamped out. The act of whistleblowing, which at one time might have been frowned in the federal workplace, is now actively encouraged. The Whistleblower Act of 2001 provides well meaning informants with all the protection they require, added to the possibility that the whistleblower may receive a considerable reward based on moneys recovered if the allegations made prove to be founded.

The new law means that cases are now easier for employees or informants to file. If a federal employee unearths cases of fraud in the department that they are working in, or in fact through the entire organisation, they should immediately investigate the implications of preparing a report, preferably under legal advice. There are many law firms who have established departments specifically to handle such claims, and will accompany and guide the whistleblower through the long and often complicated procedure, and help them to claim the reward for arriving at a successful conclusion.

Since these laws began to come into effect way back in 1986 the federal government has recovered over $2 billion as a result of actions instigated by whistleblowers. As a result, around $340 million dollars have been distributed to successful claimants to date.

More and more government employees who have gained knowledge of their employer or a colleague that is engaged in defrauding the government, they can file a lawsuit, assisting the government in recovering the funds they deserve, and recovering compensation for bringing the lawsuit.