Whistleblower laws are one of the most important tools in combatting fraud against federal, state, and local governments. Whistleblower laws incentivize private citizens who step forward to report their knowledge of fraud committed by entities or individuals, even if they personally have not been damaged by the fraud. These laws provide awards of up to 30 percent of the total amount recovered by the government. Because these actions may involve millions of dollars in fraudulent claims, the reward to the whistleblower can be substantial.
The federal and New York State False Claims Acts are aggressive programs for whistleblowers to help the government combat fraud. Some government agencies such as the Securities and Exchange Commission, Internal Revenue Service, and the Commodities Future Trading Commission have their own whistleblower-incentive programs for reporting violations under the securities, tax, and commodities laws.
These whistleblower-incentive programs can be complex to navigate through and often require the careful attention of an attorney experienced in false claims prosecution. These programs usually involve stringent filing requirements and government involvement that require significantly more than simply placing a call to a fraud hotline. Getting the right lawyer is one of the key steps in winning a whistleblower case.
If you know about or suspect false or fraudulent claims being submitted to the government, contact our office at (518) 463-7784 or www.518fraudfighters.com for a free confidential consultation with one of our attorneys.