Frequently Asked Questions

The False Claims Act has one of the strongest whistleblower protection provisions in the United States. However, it has many complicated components and requirements, which can harm any person that pursues such a claim without counsel.

The Dodd Frank Act known formally as the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act, was signed into law July 21, 2010 and is a major piece of reform legislation covering commodities and securities actions worldwide. The Act is meant primarily to promote financial stability by improving accountability and transparency in the financial system.

The Internal Revenue Act permits individuals who provide original information to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) about violation of the tax laws or the underpayment of taxes to obtain a monetary regard, if their information results in a sanction against the tax law violator.

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) targets bribery of foreign government officials by publicly traded corporations or U.S. persons. It is the most powerful and effective transnational anti-corruption law in the world.

The Whistleblower Protection Act protects most federal employees who report waste, fraud, and abuse from retaliation.

One of the most important and effective tools to uncover and prevent marine pollution is the Act to Prevent Pollution from Ships (APPS), a U.S. federal law enacted to implement the provisions of the International Convention for the Prevention of the Pollution from Ships treaty, otherwise known as MARPOL.

Under multiple U.S. whistleblower laws, a U.S. citizen or foreign national who discloses original information on waste, fraud, and abuse may be entitled to receive part of the government’s financial recoveries as a whistleblower reward.

Whistleblowers should beware company “hotlines.”

The first step in reviewing a whistleblower claim is to determine what statutes or common law actions may provide a remedy. A case may be covered under more than one whistleblower protection provision.

There are multiple whistleblower laws available to whistleblowers looking to report fraud in coronavirus spending or health and safety violations.  

Auditors and accountants have more tools for reporting fraud than they may realize.

While there is not a whistleblower law specific to the oil and gas industry, there is a large framework of U.S. laws that can be used to address fraud in the oil and gas industry. These laws can protect and reward whistleblowers with knowledge of fraud.

There is a large framework of U.S. laws that address many of the likely frauds in the coal industry. These laws can protect and reward whistleblowers with knowledge of fraud.

Under current laws like the Lacey Act and False Claims Act, whistleblowers can be protected and receive rewards when exposing fraud within the illegal timber trade.

Whistleblowers worldwide can qualify for monetary rewards when reporting wildlife trafficking, illegal logging, illegal poaching, and illegal fishing when the information results in a successful enforcement action.

Environmental whistleblowers have protections under multiple federal environmental laws.

Whistleblowers in the nuclear power and nuclear weapons industries are specifically protected under section 211 of the Energy Reorganization Act.

State courts were the first body of government to step up and start protecting whistleblowers. It is recommended to look at the individual state laws for whistleblower protection programs.

This type of fraud means a medical provider – doctor, dentist, hospital, hospice care provider or nursing home – makes a fraudulent reimbursement claim. The most common types of Medicare or Medicaid fraud include: billing for unnecessary procedures or procedures that are never performed; for unnecessary medical tests or tests never performed; or for unnecessary […]

There are various state and federal laws that can protect whistleblowers who report illegal activity or other misconduct in the utilities sectors. Learn more about utility sector whistleblowers, here.

In 2002, Congress passed the historic Sarbanes-Oxley Act, which protects employees of publicly traded companies who report violations of Securities and Exchange Commission regulations or any provision of federal law relating to fraud against the shareholders.

Commodity Exchange Act is a federal act passed in 1936 by the U.S. Government. The Act provides federal regulation of all commodities and futures trading activities and requires all futures and commodity options to be traded on organized exchanges.

FOIA allows the public better access to government records. With these records, the public can find out what the government knows about them and what types of policies agencies use to govern the public.