Tag Archives: fraud

Watching Out for Synthetic Identity Fraud

As real WatchBlog fans know, over the years we’ve covered identity theft issues for a few reasons: Federal information systems often contain information that can be used to steal identities and commit fraud, so we’ve looked at cybersecurity and other … Continue reading

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We Want YOU! (to Report Fraud, Waste, and Abuse)

Fraud, waste, abuse, or mismanagement of federal funds erodes the public’s trust in the government. So, we’re trying to make it as easy as possible to spot it and report it! If you suspect that these kinds of activities are … Continue reading

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How to Save (A Lot More Than) A Billion—Reducing Fragmentation, Overlap, and Duplication in Government Programs

Today we released our latest report on fragmentation, overlap, and duplication among federal programs. Since 2011, we’ve been reporting on ways the government can be more efficient and save taxpayer money by looking for programs that work on different parts … Continue reading

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How Useful Are Identity Theft Services?

Many people purchase identity theft services—or receive them free when their information is compromised in an organization’s data breach. These services typically include four components: credit monitoring, identity monitoring, identity restoration, and identity theft insurance. For April’s Financial Literacy Month, … Continue reading

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GAO’s 2017 High Risk List Update

Today we released our updated High Risk List, which includes three new areas: The 2020 Decennial Census, Management of Federal Programs that Serve Tribes and Their Members, and U.S. Government’s Environmental Liabilities. We also removed an area related to sharing … Continue reading

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Our New Center for Enhanced Analytics

[The title of this post was changed to correct an error in the name.] Analytics and “big data” seem to be the next frontier in a number of arenas. Data researchers can use the large, real-time data sets that are … Continue reading

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When the Federal Government Makes Improper Payments (podcast)

Federal government agencies made an estimated $137 billion in improper payments in fiscal year 2015. These were payments that shouldn’t have been made at all or were sent in the wrong amount. Here is Beryl Davis, a director in our … Continue reading

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How to Spot and Report Government Fraud, Waste and Abuse (infographic)

You may already know that members of the public can anonymously report allegations of fraud, waste, abuse or mismanagement of federal funds to GAO’s FraudNet. But what exactly constitutes fraud? And what’s the difference between waste and abuse? To help … Continue reading

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Our 24/7 Fraud Reporting Line

For nearly 40 years, people have reported suspicions of fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement of federal funds to our FraudNet team. Today’s WatchBlog peeks inside FraudNet to see what happens to the calls, emails, and other tips we receive. A … Continue reading

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Fraud Awareness Week

As the congressional watchdog, we have dedicated resources to identify, prevent, and respond to allegations of federal government fraud, waste, and abuse because these can result in misuse of taxpayer funds. That’s your money! For International Fraud Awareness Week, here’s … Continue reading

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