A whistleblower is defined as someone who blows the whistle on an illegal act or activity a company has committed. These people are also known as relators who relay the information to the proper authorities, usually through a whistleblower lawyer. These attorneys are the ones who utilize the protection of the federal and state laws to ensure a person who goes to the authorities is protected from retaliation.
The False Claims Act Can Protect You
Many people within a company would have a difficult time reporting criminal activity against the government to the authorities, mainly because of fear of retaliation. In a situation like this, though, one must realize there are laws and regulations in place to help protect a whistleblower from retaliation in any form. This falls under the federal False Claims Act, which allows a whistleblower lawyer to keep your identity anonymous as long as the lawsuit is being pursued and battled in court. These claims focus on fraud against the state and federal governments, usually as a result of them being cheated by a company or individual through fraudulent information. This can be done on a large or small scale, but either way, it is still illegal.
What Should You Do If You Suspect Fraud?
The first thing to do is make sure you have your facts straight concerning the alleged criminal activity. Then you must keep it totally confidential and out of the public’s eye until you can discuss it with a whistleblower lawyer to handle the case. This is important because public disclosure of the suspected activity can disqualify you as a whistleblower, and you can lose your rights to credit and rewards for being a whistleblower.
You must also remember to take detailed notes because the federal government requires documentation proving evidence of illegal activity. A lawsuit cannot be filed unless there is some type of evidence and cannot be filed based on suspicion alone. You also cannot jump aboard someone else’s accusations just to get in on the benefits of the lawsuit because you must have your own substantial information concerning the alleged crime. If this rule wasn’t in place, everybody would be jumping into every class action suit they heard or read about, and the system would be totally out of control. One more thing to remember before filing a lawsuit of this magnitude is to make sure the crime was done intentionally and not just as a result of human error.
