As citizens we pay taxes that help the government to perform vital public services. When the government is defrauded, it is the people who end up paying the price.

We live in an era of unprecedented environmental concerns. Climate change, pollution, resource depletion, and loss of biodiversity threaten our planet and life as we know it. Combating these issues and protecting the environment for future generations requires a collective effort on our part.

While many environmental whistleblowers report law-breaking simply because they believe it’s the right thing to do, financial incentives provide additional motivation for blowing the whistle.

The Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRS) requires contractors and subcontractors performing work on federally funded or federally assisted construction projects to pay laborers and mechanics not less than the prevailing wages and fringe benefits for similar work performed in the area. DBRS applies to all federal government or District of Columbia contracts for construction, alteration, or repair of public buildings or public works in excess of $2,000.

Whistleblower compensation is often substantial. Since the inception of the False Claims Act during the Civil War, it has been understood that blowing the whistle takes courage and a fair amount of risk on the part of the relator. For this reason, the federal government rewards those citizens that perform their duty handsomely for providing information about fraud.

What does it really take to blow the whistle on your employer’s fraud? Learn about your right to report fraud, and how healthcare whistleblowers can navigate HIPAA Privacy Rules when collecting evidence.

Video Transcript

Thanks to whistleblowers, last year the government recovered $3.5 billion dollars under the False Claims Act.

However, being a whistleblower is not easy. Having evidence to prove fraud is essential, and as a whistleblower, you have a right to collect it.

When you witness misconduct in your workplace, it can be difficult to figure out whether it meets the legal definition of fraud. It is possible, unfortunately, for company policies to be unethical or inappropriate without technically being illegal.

When a company or individual intentionally requests unearned or inappropriate reimbursements from the government, they are ultimately hurting taxpayers.

Protecting and rewarding whistleblowers has been on the government’s agenda for over 150 years. Watch the video to learn about the origins of the False Claims Act and what it means to whistleblowers today.

What are the whistleblowers’ rights and protections?

Blowing the whistle on fraud or other illegal activity that hurts the public interest  – also known by the Latin term qui tam – is an act of civic service, and those that do it deserve to be protected. Without these protections, many whistleblowers would hesitate to raise the alarm for fear of personal retaliation. 

Qui tam (pronounced “kee tam” or “kwee tom”) is an abbreviation of a Latin phrase meaning “who as well for the king as for himself sues in this matter.” Qui tam cases are different from other types of lawsuits, such as those involving personal injuries, because the person bringing the lawsuit is not the one who has been harmed.

When you witness misconduct in your workplace, it can be difficult to figure out whether it meets the legal definition of fraud. It is possible, unfortunately, for company policies to be unethical or inappropriate without technically being illegal.

When a company or individual intentionally requests unearned or inappropriate reimbursements from the government, they are ultimately hurting taxpayers. This is the type of fraud that leads to qui tam lawsuits: deliberate, large-scale fraud schemes that misuse state or federal funding.