How to Use the USAID Inspector General Hotline

The US Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent federal government agency that assists people in parts of Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Caribbean and Europe to recover from disasters or establish democratic governments. The Office of the Inspector General (IG) oversees USAID and relies on witness complaints to investigate crimes within the agency. You can contact them through their hotline.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Identify waste, fraud or abuse conducted within any USAID agencies or programs. Find these activities in government contracts, projects and procurements. Recognize the common warning signs of fraud, including rigged specifications, contracts and bids, frequent complaints from recipients of the goods or services, inaccurate charges, payments and shipments, unusual rates of consumption and poor security practices.
2. Submit your complaint over the phone, via email or through US mail to the Inspector General. The phone number is 800-2306539. The email address is [e-mail]. The mailing address is US Agency for International Development, Office of Inspector General Investigations (USAID/OIGI/I), PO Box 657, Washington DC 20044-0657.
3. Relate detailed information about the alleged fraud or abuse, including who committed it, where, when and how. Explain why you think the person or persons committed the fraud and who else might be aware of it.
4. Know your rights as the complainant. Due to the insecure nature of electronic communications, you waive your rights to confidentiality when you submit an email complaint. Recognize that if you are an employee of the agency, you are protected by the federal Whistleblower Protection Act from recriminations from your employer for making a complaint.
5. Expect acknowledgement from the Inspector General of your complaint but not an update regarding how it was pursued. An investigator may follow up with you, but this occurs rarely.

Tips & Warnings

• The information in this article does not constitute legal advice.
• You may be subject to criminal or civil penalties for reporting false information to the hotline.