National Report Government Contractor Fraud Day, is celebrated on May eight annually. The government spends 4 trillion dollars of public money every year, of which a whopping 10% is spent on fraudulent bills. This translates to 400 billion dollars worth of public money wasted because of fraud. This day calls out citizens and consumers to become informed and help the government weed out fraudsters. In the process, the whistleblower can earn up to 30% of the money recovered by the government as a reward. Sounds too good to be true? Well, there is just one catch. If the frauds are not reported properly, they might not get investigated, let alone fetch a reward.
History of National Report Government Contractor Fraud Day
Joel Hesch, a whistleblower attorney, started this day in 2018. He has worked in the Department of Justice (D.O.J.) disbursing whistleblower rewards for 15 years. Currently, he runs his law firm where he helps people across the nation report fraud and claim rewards.The highest amount of reward received for reporting fraudulent activity is $150 million for a single case. On average, a whistleblower case may fetch $549,665 in reward. Hesch, while working at the D.O.J. office, helped recover more than a billion dollars in fraud money for the government and subsequently helped payout whistleblowers who reported the fraud. He has written multiple e-books describing ways to spot and report fraud.He notes that many whistleblowers with justifiable information about frauds to the government are often unable to report them appropriately, hence losing out on the chance of receiving rewards. Also, in such cases, the government might not even hold an investigation; even if they do, they are not liable to disclose their findings. Hence, it is essential to inform of any fraudulent activity in a legally appropriate manner to catch the attention of the government. Apart from contractor fraud, some other common frauds are military fraud, I.R.S. fraud, medicare fraud, etc.
National Report Government Contractor Fraud Day timeline
If you help the government in finding the fraudster, you receive a portion of the recovered damages - 'qui tam', is first observed during the reign of King Edward II.
People and companies are litigated under this federal law for defrauding the government.
Joel Hesch founds National Report Government Contractor Fraud Day.
About 71% of the cases brought in under the False Claims Act are by public whistleblowers.
National Report Government Contractor Fraud Day FAQs
Who is liable under a False Claims Act?
A person or company that submits a claim to the government that they know is false.
Who investigates government contractor frauds?
The D.O.J. investigates government contractor fraud.
What is procurement fraud?
Procurement fraud is when the contractor wrongly bills the government for the goods that were procured for the government.
National Report Government Contractor Fraud Day Activities
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Stay informed
You can use the internet as your source of information or read books written by the creator of this day itself, Joel Hesch. His books equip you with the right knowledge and tools to uncover frauds and appropriately report them.
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Reach out
When in doubt, reach out to whistleblower attorneys near you and discuss your concern. Share whatever information you have and do your part in putting an end to fraud.
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Spread the word
Joel Hesch created this day to raise enough awareness so that contractors don’t try fooling the government for fear of being reported by citizens. You can support the cause by spreading the word on social media.
5 Facts About False Claims Act
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How did it all begin?
During the civil war, there was rampant fraud by private contractors who billed the government for services and commodities that were either never provided or were subpar; Congress passed the False Claims Act in response.
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Lincoln Law
The False Claims Act is also called the Lincoln Law because it was passed during the administration of President Abraham Lincoln.
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Billions of dollars
About $62 billion was recovered between 1987 and 2019 under the False Claims Act.
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Am I a “relator”?
The citizen filing the complaint and bringing the fraud to the government’s notice is called a relator.
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Popular claims
Under the False Claims Act, frauds pertaining to Medicare, military, pharmaceutical settlements, etc. are covered.
Why We Love National Report Government Contractor Fraud Day
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It celebrates good deeds
Billions of dollars of taxpayers’ hard-earned money can be saved by reporting the bad guys. It does feel good to do a good deed.
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Who doesn’t like to be rewarded?
We are all for altruism, but who doesn’t like being rewarded? The hefty sum can be a great motivating factor for citizens to keep their eyes and ears open.
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It encourages doing it the right way
Reporting fraud in the right way is very crucial. This is because, if it is not done so, the government might dismiss the concern and all efforts will be in vain.
National Report Government Contractor Fraud Day dates
| Year | Date | Day |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | May 8 | Monday |
| 2024 | May 8 | Wednesday |
| 2025 | May 8 | Thursday |
| 2026 | May 8 | Friday |
| 2027 | May 8 | Saturday |
