Summary: In response to a congressional request, GAO reviewed the progress of its Fraud Hotline during the past 8 years.
GAO noted that: (1) it has not changed the Hotline's structure or its interviewing, screening, referral, and follow-up procedures in the past 8 years; (2) the Hotline operation is now part of the new Office of Special Investigations; (3) it received over 87,000 calls in the past 8 years that resulted in 13,019 cases warranting further review; (4) 70 percent of the calls warranting further review were from anonymous sources and 26 percent of the calls were from federal employees; and (5) it directed callers who lacked specific information or had allegations which did not involve federal programs to the appropriate state or local agency. GAO reported that: (1) it categorized allegations referred for further review according to the participant in the alleged improper activity; (2) the highest proportion of participants involved in improper activities was among federal employees; (3) it closed 10,553 cases of the 13,019 referred to the Hotline; (4) the most commonly substantiated cases involved private use of federal property, federal employees' work hour abuse, welfare fraud, and general mismanagement; (5) during the past 8 years, it referred 435 cases to the Department of Justice for review and possible prosecution; (6) in many cases, federal agencies took action against employees, contractors, and other individuals; and (7) calls to the Hotline resulted in the identification of millions of dollars in waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement.
