Federal Trade Commission Employees’ Obligation to Report to the Office of the Inspector General and to Cooperate in Inspector General Audits and Investigations

Reporting Misconduct or Fraud

Federal Trade Commission (FTC) employees (including supervisors and managers) shall promptly report to the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) any:

• conduct on the part of an agency employee that may be a violation of law or regulation; or
• fraudulent or other illicit activity on the part of any individual or entity contracting with or obtaining a benefit from the agency.

Reporting Waste, Abuse or Mismanagement

The OIG does not exercise program operating responsibility, and day-to-day operational issues arising in FTC programs are normally addressed by agency management without OIG involvement. However, an employee should report evidence of significant waste, abuse or mismanagement to the OIG. An employee should advise his or her supervisor that waste, abuse or mismanagement has been reported to the OIG unless the employee believes that:

• the allegation involves possible wrongdoing on the part of his or her supervisor(s); or
• reporting to a supervisor may result in reprisal or retaliation.

Duty to Cooperate with the OIG

FTC employees have a duty to cooperate in audits and investigations conducted by the OIG and to respond to questions posed by an OIG investigator upon being informed that their responses will not be used to incriminate them in a criminal proceeding.

Confidentiality

When reporting waste, fraud, abuse, mismanagement or misconduct to the OIG, an FTC employee may request that his or her identity remain confidential. The OIG has authority to reveal the identity of a complainant if it is deemed unavoidable in the course of an investigation. However, where an employee has requested confidentiality, the OIG will honor that request to the extent possible.

Protection from Reprisal or Retaliation

Pursuant to the Inspector General Act and the Whistleblower Protection Act, a supervisor may not retaliate against an employee or engage in any act of reprisal based upon the employee complaining to or cooperating with the OIG.

Last Updated: Wednesday, December 7, 2005