Illinois Auditor General fraud hotline nets 65 tips

In January 2012, the Illinois Auditor General’s office set up a fraud hotline to provide Illinoisans a way to sound the alarm on corruption. After all, Illinois is the third-most corrupt state in America.

Brian Costin
Director of Government Reform

In January 2012, the Illinois Auditor General’s office set up a fraud hotline to provide Illinoisans a way to sound the alarm on corruption. After all, Illinois is the third-most corrupt state in America.

There’s reason to believe that the hotline is picking up traction. The Bloomington Pantagraph recently reported:

And, according to the folks who run the hotline dedicated to unearthing corruption in state government, the program has yielded 65 reports since it went online in January 2012.

A spokesman for Illinois Auditor General William Holland’s office said the fraud hotline has received 36 tips over the phone, while the remaining reports came in via online forms or through other means such as the U.S. Postal Service.

While this number may not seem very high, a single tip can make a huge difference. It was a single tip from a government employee to the FBI that unveiled a 20-year, $53 million embezzlement scheme by former city of Dixon comptroller, Rita Crundwell. Authorities were able to recover more than $10 million of the stolen funds because someone was brave enough to come forward.

The auditor general’s fraud hotline allows tips to be submitted in a variety of manners.

• Via an online form
• Email to OAGHotline@mail.state.il.us
• A toll-free fraud hotline (1-855-217-1895)
• Or through written mail to: Fraud Hotline, Auditor General’s Office, 740 E. Ash St., Springfield, IL 62703

The auditor general’s office will review fraud allegations involving the following officials and agencies.

• The attorney general, governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state comptroller and state treasurer
• State agencies under the control of the governor

Tips can be reported anonymously.

The auditor general’s office has put together a helpful list of other fraud reporting agencies outside of its jurisdiction.

Many Illinois cities and counties also run fraud hotlines, including Will County, Cook County and the City of Chicago.

For the last few years, DuPage County Auditor Bob Grogan has been running a fraud hotline in DuPage County. He also regularly instructs government workers on how to use the resource. Grogan said, “It is now just part of the normal orientation, which happens a couple times a month. It is just a simple thing that helps make government run better and cleaner.”

We can all help address and solve Illinois’ corruption problem. If you have information concerning government fraud please contact the appropriate authorities.

If you are not sure who the appropriate authorities are, please give me a call at 312-346-5700 ext. 205 or email at  bcostin@illinoispolicy.org. We will do our best to help you identify the correct authorities to contact.