How do I report fraud? This is, by far, the most common question we hear from our clients.
A common question raised by our clients is, How do I report fraud? Do I report the fraud internally? To whom do I report the fraud? What do I say? How do I protect myself? Should I call an internal or Government whistleblower/fraud hotline?
Unfortunately, many of our clients come to us only after they’ve already reported the fraud, without first seeking advice of counsel.
If you do not report fraud in the “correct” way, you may not be protected by the False Claims Act or other whistleblower statutes and may weaken your potential whistleblower retaliation lawsuit.
Whistleblowers often come to us only after they have been fired for reporting the fraud that they have discovered to their employers. Unfortunately, if the fraud is not reported in a certain way, you may not be protected by the False Claims Act.
Sometimes reporting the fraud to the Government allows it to initiate an investigation or lawsuit without you, resulting in fines or sometimes even a False Claims Act lawsuit of its own. If you have not already filed a qui tam action, you may be left completely out in the cold with no chance for recovery. If the defendant decides that you are to blame, you may be fired with no chance for restitution.
You want to do the right thing, and you need to protect your own well-being in the process. Before you speak to anyone else about the fraud, you should call or click to speak with one of our experienced False Claims Act attorneys.