Rewards for Reporting Fraud against the Government

This article tells you how to get a reward for reporting fraud against the government. If you report fraud against the federal government or a State entity you can get a significant monetary reward. But there are very specific rules and requirements you must follow when you report fraud against the government or you will not be eligible for a reward.

This article outlines the basics for how to apply for a reward and how to properly report fraud against the government.

First, you cannot simply call a hotline to report fraud against the government. Even if you report everything you know to a government agent and they use your information to collect millions, you will not get a reward. That’s because you must follow the process in the reward statute to be eligible for a reward.

Specifically, to receive a reward for reporting fraud against the government you must hire an attorney and file a qui tam civil lawsuit that alleges the fraud being committed against the government. This may sound expensive, but most experienced attorneys handling whistleblower reward cases work on a contingency basis for filing your reward application for reporting fraud. But it is important that you select an experienced attorney.

Second, you must report specific and detailed information about the fraud against the government. The government turns down 75 percent of reward applications, so it’s very important that you and your attorney provide the information in a clear and convincing manner and follow the right procedures for reporting fraud against the government. It also helps if you worked for the company that is defrauding the government—even if you were asked to participate in the fraud, because the government needs information about how the fraud scheme against the government worked in order to win a fraud case and collect the money back.

Third, the size of the reward is determined by the size of the fraud. If a company is cheating the government by $100,000 you would only get a reward of around $15,000. That’s because a reward for reporting fraud against the government is between 15 and 25 percent of the amount the government actually gets back from the company defrauding the government. Because you will have to pay taxes and give a portion to your attorney as a contingency fee for helping you report fraud, it may not be worth your time unless the amount of fraud against the government is in the millions. To receive a million dollar reward for reporting fraud, the amount of fraud against the government needs to be $7 million or more.

This website (and the books authored by Mr. Hesch) walk you step-by-step through the process of reporting fraud against the government and shows you how to apply for a monetary reward. But here is a quick example of how to report fraud against the government and claim a whistleblower reward.

If someone defrauds the government, such as lying about goods or services used under any government program (such as Medicare) or on contracts (such as the military or Homeland Security), they are liable to the government to repay triple the amount of the fraudulent request for payments.

If you work for the company that is committing fraud against the government, you might be eligible for a reward. The first step is to contact an experienced False Claims Act attorney to assess your case. But do not delay. Only the first whistleblower to properly follow the procedures for reporting the fraud against the government is eligible for a reward. You can decide not to report the fraud after you talk to an attorney and learn about the risks of being a whistleblower.

Once your attorney files the complaint and reward application for reporting fraud against the government, the government agency that was defrauded will evaluate your allegations. This can take between six months and three years. Afterwards, the government will inform you if it plans on pursuing the fraud allegations you reported. If it does, in over 90 percent of cases, the whistleblower receives a reward for reporting fraud.

The amount of the reward depends on how much money the government collects from the company for committing fraud against the government. Remember, the reward is between 15 and 25 percent of what the government actually collects.

Because there are risks for reporting fraud against the government, you should talk to an attorney experienced with reward cases before you blow the whistle and report fraud. There is a lot to consider and you need to know whether and how to properly report fraud against the government to get a monetary reward.

Mr. Hesch is available to review your information and decide if you have the right kind of a case to report fraud against the government. The rest of this website provides more details regarding what it takes to report fraud against the government and how to get a reward.

See the link at the bottom of the page below “Do I have a case” to have Mr. Hesch review your potential case for how to get a reward for reporting fraud against the government.

See the link at the bottom of the page below “Report Fraud” to learn more about how to get a reward for reporting fraud against the government.

Click on this link to read this article in pdf format: How to get a Reward for Reporting Fraud against the Government PDF version