Fraud prevention: Making a difference one tip at a time

Did you know that you can play a vital role in stopping fraud in federal procurement? The Canadian public can contact the Federal Contracting Fraud Tip Line if there's something suspicious in federal procurement. This can include corruption in a contract, overbilling by a government supplier and schemes in a bidding process.

Tip lines are, by far, the most common way fraud is uncovered in organizations, whether public or private. The Tip Line program is a collaborative effort between Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC), Competition Bureau Canada (Bureau) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). "The Tip Line works well because our partners' resources are tightly integrated. The Bureau uses its existing web and call centre infrastructure to receive and manage tips. In addition, the Bureau and the RCMP provide their expertise in investigating federal fraud and collusion cases," explains Anne, member of the anti-fraud team at PSPC, whose name was changed to maintain anonymity.

"The very first question we ask when someone contacts the Tip Line is 'Do you want to remain anonymous?'" says Anne. "It's their choice." If the person answers "yes," no information about them will be requested. "None," she insists. "We don't track IP addresses. We don't track down anonymous members of the public who have graciously provided us with a tip."

That said, it's always better if informants provide their names and agree to be contacted. Anne explains, "We call these 'named' tips. Action will be taken regardless, but named tips allow investigators to contact the source and get any details that may be missing. In doing so, they are more likely to be able to bring a case to justice."

Anne and her team know that people who decide to blow the whistle may experience a wide range of emotions. "I think you have to be able to empathize with people who have information about suspicious activity. They may be faced with a moral dilemma and may even feel afraid of saying something."

The team's job is to establish a bond of trust to make reporting as easy as possible for people, and to validate "the little voice in their head that tells them something is off," Anne mentions.

She adds, "You also have to be a good communicator. Most Canadians are not experts in recognizing procurement fraud and suspicious activity. Our job is to describe how red flags could look, such as a neighbour boasting about getting rich from their multiple contracts with the federal government when they don't seem to be working, or rumours about companies teaming up to cheat on what should be a competitive bid on a federal construction project."

Despite the serious aspects of her work, Anne recounts that when she started working for the Tip Line program in 2018, some complaints had nothing to do with contracting fraud. "There were tips about a neighbour's barking dog or dry-cleaning not being returned. People began to lose confidence in the program's potential. But it was also what made us realize that we needed to do a better job of communicating what constitutes fraud in federal procurement, and that reporting fraud is an appropriate and essential activity for Canadians."

Anne decided to change things up. "I made it my mission." And it worked. The team went full speed ahead on raising awareness of the Tip Line and fraud schemes in federal procurement that people should look out for. "We reached out to other departments, we got the word out on social media, and we educated our employees. We changed our website and included examples of fraud schemes. We now run 2 annual outreach campaigns to keep the risk of federal procurement fraud on people's radar and are always looking for new ways to raise awareness."

Fast forward to today, the number of relevant tips received annually has tripled. "I see this as a sign that our awareness messages are clearer because more people understand the Tip Line's purpose. It's great to see that we are reaching people, and that Canadians are keeping an eye out and getting involved in reporting things they find suspicious in federal procurement," Anne proudly says. The Tip Line and the intelligence it provides are also helping PSPC feed its fraud detection analytic capabilities to actively detect unreported fraud.

Canadians have a right to expect fairness in federal procurement and have great power to help uncover, and put a stop to, any wrongdoing.

You can reach the Federal Contracting Fraud Tip Line via its web page or by phone at 1 844-365-1616, 8 am to 4 pm, Monday to Friday (Eastern Time). Your tip could be the one that cracks a case.

To learn more about PSPC employees, projects and services making a difference for Canadians, read other articles found on Our stories.