Working in the corporate world can sometimes lead to complicated circumstances because of the negative actions of one or more company team members. Some of these negative actions may include serious allegations like committing fraud, corruption or breaking the law against state and federal governments. This is called a False Claims Act and was put into action during the Civil War to stop dishonest suppliers to the Union military. It has now expanded to cover all sources that receive federal or state money, either directly or indirectly. A person who files this type of claim through a False Claims Act attorney is also commonly known as a ‘relator’ or ‘whistleblower’ since they are the ones bringing the suspected crime to the attention of the governing bodies. If the crime is found to be true, this person is then entitled to a portion of the recovery money from the crime as his reward for ‘blowing the whistle’ on these illegal activities.
There Are Huge Risks Involved for the Whistleblower
Since these types of claims have such intense consequences for the wrongdoers, the whistleblower or relator bares an enormous risk of retaliation. Therefore, the government has since enacted the Dodd-Frank law to coincide with the False Claims Act to protect the person who files the claim. This means the whistleblower’s job is protected, along with the monetary reward from bringing the crime to the governing authorities. This is one of the main reasons why it is so important to hire the best False Claims Act attorney possible so they can ensure all your rights are protected under these laws.
What Are Some of the Fraudulent Techniques Being Used?
In the 1980s, the need for a False Claims Act attorney was mainly necessary when dealing with the military defense industry but has since turned the claims more toward the government medical health insurance programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid. As a direct result of those claims, the False Claims Act was strengthened even more in the 1980s. Some examples of medical fraud are performing unnecessary procedures, billing for tests not performed, offering free services in exchange for a person’s Medicare or Medicaid number, charging for equipment that was never ordered, charging more than once for the same service, submitting false expense reports or continuously waiving patient co-payments. These are just a few of the fraudulent techniques being used today to scam the government.
