Understanding How Fraud and Corruption Work
Fraud and Corruption
Fraud and corruption are caustic when mixed. Take, for example, the American mafia. Few of us have seen it in action, maybe only from within the Godfather, HBO’s Boardwalk, the Sopranos, or Bad Blood. We know it exists! The FBI is busy today trying to unravel the dark web, and we are reminded of it in shows like the FBI Files. Whether it is individual or corporate corruption, it works the same. An individual who has a public office uses his authority to turn the other way to allow corrupt things to happen for his gain. An evil person can do great harm to the American public in a high office that is being used for a fraudulent purpose.
Identifying Fraud
Fraud reveals itself differently because the head of it is not a person who is a public servant. Fraud takes place anywhere someone has an intent to harm or deceive another person for personal gain. Fraud happens daily all over the world. The deception is not seen until the damage has been done. Someone working in a bank replaces real money with counterfeit money. A partner in business opens a breach in a firewall so that hackers can enter the system and steal millions of funds from the company.
A Pharmaceutical Fraud
A pharmaceutical salesman sells counterfeit drugs to pharmacies he serves. Real patients are given counterfeit medicines in place of their real drugs. While the pharmacy salesman gets wealthy, patients are dying because their medications are bogus. What do you do during rehab in a situation like that? If you have been the victim of fraud or corruption, or you have seen it taking place in the company you work for, you can get help with Elias Attorneys who do not standby silent. These attorneys will work your case and get to the bottom of the fraud and try to win back what you have lost, or they will seek a settlement for your situation. If you have seen fraud or corruption taking place, you have the right to bring the information to an attorney and the government and to be free from employer harassment or retaliation for disclosing the misconduct.
Identifying Corruption
Corruption works from within the system, and often it comes from top officials. Top officials who are servants of the public carry heavy responsibilities to the public and sometimes get off course through a bribe against their family, or to the attraction of fame and wealth for a favor. When we speak of corruption, we are often talking about political corruption since it often happens. At first, it is usually a little favor here or there, but then the favors get larger and larger until they consume the life of the official. By the time they see what went wrong, it may be too late to get out without shame to themselves and their family.
Can Corruption Be Measured?
Corruption can be a small thing like a notary who has corrupt notaries across the city that turn in corrupt documents to the officials. Corruption could be a small coffee company that lowers the cost of coffee so low that their competitors are squeezed out of business. When they are caught, it is shown that the company was based on stolen coffee from warehouses all over the country. If a person knows they are the target of fraud or corruption, they should contact proper authorities.
Defining Whistleblower
A whistleblower is someone willing to blow the whistle on the corruption they know is taking place. A perfect example is the movie “The Insider” with Russell Crowe, which is about big tobacco that was putting addictive chemicals in cigarettes. The movie is based on a true story based on a 60-minute segment with Jeffrey Wigand who worked for Big Tobacco and reported what they were doing. Wigand put his life on the line and was threatened by the perpetrators.
Whistleblowers do not have to endure these problems alone, but they can contact representation who will work with them. Under certain laws, the whistleblower is protected under the US Constitution.
Protecting the Whistleblower
When the US government is being used for unlawful personal gains, it is a crime. That is, a public servant is giving or selling information to a foreign power or entity for the sake of personal gain. The person who reports this activity is known as a whistleblower. The act is a selfless act that uncovers corruption and is protected by the government. Not all whistleblower cases end on a happy note, but sometimes the whistleblower receives backlashes from those they report to in the government. In a normal case scenario, the whistleblower is held in great respect for their selfless act, and this is one reason why the whistleblower is protected by law.