Fraud, Waste & Abuse and Whistleblower Hotline

Purpose

The purpose of the Fraud Waste & Abuse and Whistleblower Hotline is to encourage employees and citizens of the County to report any suspected cases of fraud, waste, or abuse, of which they become aware. The Fraud Waste & Abuse and Whistleblower Hotline is provided as an alternative reporting mechanism to ensure concerns are properly addressed and as a means for anonymous, confidential, reporting.

What to Report

Fraud refers to any intentional act or omission designed to deceive others, resulting in the County suffering a loss and/or the perpetrator achieving a gain.

Waste refers to the unnecessary incurring of costs as a result of inefficient practices, systems, or controls.

Abuse refers to violations and circumstances of departmental or agency regulations which impair the effective and efficient execution of operations or resources.

How, When & Where to Report

The County has engaged EthicsPoint to manage its Fraud Waste & Abuse and Whistleblower Hotline. EthicsPoint is an independent, comprehensive and confidential reporting service available to anyone wishing to report financial fraud, waste, or abuse. There are two ways to use the Fraud Waste & Abuse and Whistleblower Hotline:

Call toll-free, 1-833-416-6434, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to speak to a third-party representative.
Submit an online report at the Fraud Waste & Abuse and Whistleblower Web Reporting Portal.

What Information to Provide

When reporting suspected fraud, waste, and abuse, please provide as much information and detail as possible, including who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Purposeful misrepresentation of reporting allegations may be construed as a malicious act. Allegations made frivolously, in bad faith or without factual basis may constitute defamation and may be legally actionable.

FAQs

What happens after filing a report?

Reports are entered directly on the EthicsPoint secure server to prevent any possible breach in security. These reports are only made available to the Internal Audit Division and Human Resources (HR matters only). Internal Audit and Human Resources have been charged with evaluating the reports, based on the type of violation and location of the incident. Each of these report recipients have had training in keeping these reports in the utmost confidence. All complaints will be reviewed, and if appropriate, they will investigate whether fraud, waste or abuse has occurred. In certain circumstances, they will refer an investigation to another law enforcement agency or county department and follow up on the outcome.

Generally, a confidential report of the findings is issued to the appropriate department/agency including the District Attorney for possible criminal prosecution at the end of an investigation. Substantiated cases may result in some level of administrative action and/or criminal prosecution.
Can I check on the status of the investigation?

Yes, you may check the status of your case, online or by telephone at 1-833-416-6434. You will then need to enter your assigned key (provided when you initially filed a report) and self-generated password. This will enable you to see if the case has been closed or is still being investigated. Please note, no specific details of any ongoing investigation will be provided.
What if I remember something important about the incident after I file the report? What if the County has further questions for me concerning my report?

When you file a report at the EthicsPoint website or through the call center, you will receive a unique user name and are asked to develop a password. You can return to the EthicsPoint system again either by Internet or telephone and access the original report to add more detail or answer questions posed by a County representative and add further information that will help resolve open issues. We strongly suggest that you return to the site in the time specified to respond to any additional questions. You and the County have now entered into an "anonymous dialogue," where situations are not only identified, but can also be resolved, no matter how complex.
How long does it take for a case to be investigated?

Investigations vary from a couple of weeks to several months depending on the complexity of the case.
May I obtain a copy of the investigative report?

No. Reports are confidential.