What could you do if you suspected your supervisor of committing fraud?
There is an established whistleblower protection program in the country. Yet, reporting a supervisor would not be easy for an employee. Nonetheless, I would speak out instead of letting it continue. Firstly, I would alert the fraud incident manager (if there is any in the organization) about the suspicion. If an organization doesn’t have a fraud incident officer, my first step would be documenting the incident’s date, time, and details while maintaining necessary confidentiality. Confidentiality is crucial because unwarranted disclosure would cause more damage than intended and probably impede successful investigations. Next, I would document the evidence before reporting it to federal authorities. With evidence and potential witnesses, it could help establish the fraud.
Is there something you can do other than quitting?
Quitting is one option if I suspect fraud, but there are several other options. For instance, remaining at the organization to gather necessary evidence is an option. Quitting without helping the authorities establish necessary evidence would be futile in preventing the fraud. Another option is reporting the incidence immediately to the relevant government authorities, such as the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). I could easily decide to continue working for the organization while aiding the investigations. I could also talk to the culprits if I have such capacity. Sometimes they may change before it is too late if they had someone to talk them out of the behavior.
Explain what you would do if you worked for carol and Michael Ryser and you discovered this fraud before the federal government had that opportunity.
If I worked for Carol and Michael Ryser and discovered such fraud before the federal government, I would do two things: firstly, I would report the incidence to the federal government authorities, and secondly, I would continue working as I help in the investigations. It would be unethical for me to remain silent and ignore such fraud. Additionally, I wouldn’t consider quitting in this instance because I wouldn’t have helped as much as I would have by remaining at the organization. By reporting to the federal government, I would be under the whistleblower protection program to shield me against any retaliation by the owners.
