AS MORE FEDERAL COVID RELIEF FLOWS OUT, GAO'S FRAUDNET HOTLINE READY TO HELP COMBAT FRAUD

摘要

As hundreds of billions of dollars in coronavi-rus (COVID-19) relief are distributed, Fraud-Net-the U.S. Government Accountability Office's (GAO) hotline for processing allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement in federal programs-is ready to receive any new complaints from the public, federal workers, and contractors about the use of funds intended to combat the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The FraudNet hotline has received over 1,000 complaints related to the CARES Act, many of which involved the Small Business Administration's Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loans. In its latest report on the implementation of the CARES Act, GAO indicated that federal COVID-19 relief programs remain highly vulnerable to fraud, and the congressional watchdog urges anyone who suspects inappropriate activities to contact FraudNet via phone, e-mail, or on-line.