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What is the Los Angeles County Fraud Hotline? The Los Angeles County Fraud Hotline is a 24-hour online, telephone, fax and email mechanism for reporting suspected fraud or other misconduct by County employees, contractors and vendors. The online feature of the Hotline can also be used to get the status of previously filed complaints. You may report alleged fraud 24 hours a day, seven days a week by telephone, sending an e-mail/fax or using the online form through this website. Live operators are available Monday through Thursday 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Anyone who believes or has evidence that fraud or corruption related to Los Angeles County may have occurred or is occurring should file a report. Informants may identify themselves or remain anonymous. However, anonymous reports may be more difficult to investigate because we cannot contact you if we have additional questions concerning what you have reported. OCI strictly honors confidentiality, and will not reveal the identity of any informant or source of information without the informant's authorization or by order of a court of law. Yes, you may remain anonymous. Any kind of fraud or misconduct can be reported except welfare fraud and those listed at the end of this section. You may report any Los Angeles County manager, employee, contractor or vendor who may be committing fraud, or any practice or act you observe that results in the waste or misapplication of County resources. Most types of fraud are investigated by the Office of County Investigations (OCI). Some misconduct, including recipient welfare fraud, claims for child support, or allegations of child abuse, are referred by the Hotline operator to other agencies for investigation. Below are examples of some types of fraud commonly reported to the Hotline:
No. The Welfare Fraud Hotline number is 800-349-9970. May I report In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) Fraud? Yes. What information should I provide when filing a report? When reporting suspected fraud, please provide as much information and detail as possible, including who, what, when, where, why, and how. In general, please provide the name of the person(s) involved; explain what is happening and where and when the fraud occurred. Provide as much information as possible. If you are aware of misconduct, any information you have is helpful. If you have documents available, please provide them using one of the means listed in our "Contact Us" section. What happens after filing a report? OCI will review complaints and if appropriate, investigate whether fraud has occurred. In certain circumstances, OCI will refer an investigation to another law enforcement agency or County department and follow up on the outcome. Generally, a confidential report of the findings is issued to the appropriate department/agency including the District Attorney for possible criminal prosecution at the end of an investigation. Substantiated cases may result in some level of administrative action and/or criminal prosecution. Will anyone, including the suspect(s) find out that I reported the fraud? If you request your identity remain confidential, the County Fraud Hotline will not identify you to anyone. However, if the investigation results in criminal prosecution, it is possible our records may be subpoenaed by the court. When I call the Hotline, am I being recorded? No. We do not record calls made to the Hotline and we do not use caller ID to identify your telephone number. If I give my name when reporting a fraud, am I protected from retaliation? Yes. Los Angeles County employees are protected under County Code section 5.02.06 ?Whistleblower? protection. If you feel you have been retaliated against for reporting a fraud, you may file a formal complaint with the County Department of Human Resources. If I give my name and telephone number, will an investigator call me? Yes. The investigator may call you if he/she needs additional information regarding your allegation. Can I check on the status of the investigation? Yes, you may check the status of your case by going to the "Hotline" section of this website and selecting "Status". You will then need to enter your assigned case number. You may check to see if a case is open or closed. However, no specific details of any on-going investigation will be provided. How long does it take for a case to be investigated? Investigations vary from a couple of weeks to several months depending on the complexity of the case. May I obtain a copy of the investigative report? No. Reports are confidential. Am I entitled to a reward for reporting a fraud? You may be entitled to a reward up to $1,000 if you identify yourself when reporting the fraud and if the investigation leads to a criminal conviction. Go to our Law & Policy section for additional information. What will happen to the person I am reporting? If an allegation is substantiated, the suspect(s) could be disciplined. Disciplinary action is determined by the department for which the suspect works and is confidential. Discipline can include dismissal, suspension, reprimand, etc. However, if the suspect(s) is criminally prosecuted, the case becomes a public record. When fraud is allowed to continue, it jeopardizes the level of service government can provide it?s residents and can ultimately result in higher taxes. How do I report an allegation? You may file online by selecting "File" on this site or go to the "Contact Us" section on this website for more options. What are some of the other hotlines or agencies I may call?
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