If you have information about fraud, waste, abuse or mismanagement, as well as other crimes or violations of Federal laws, rules, and regulations, relating to U.S. Department of State (Department) or the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM) programs and operations, you may report it to the Office of Inspector General (OIG) Hotline. Such information includes allegations concerning contracts, grants, public corruption, conflict of interest, and other criminal or serious non-criminal misconduct involving employees, contractors/sub-contractors, and grantees/sub-grantees.
You can submit your report to us through one of the methods listed on this page.
The Hotline may be used for unclassified information only. To submit classified information, contact the Hotline at (202) 647-3320 for further instructions.
The more information you provide, the better we will be able to determine appropriate measures to address your concerns.
If possible, you should include information that answers the following questions:
- Who committed the wrongdoing (name of person, company or organization), who may have been a victim, and who may be a witness?
- What exactly did the person, company or organization do?
- Where did the wrongdoing take place?
- When did the wrongdoing happen?
- Why did the person, company, or organization commit the wrongdoing?
In addition, please include information about any other potential leads, documents, or evidence that may be helpful.
You may provide information anonymously, but you should be aware that if we require further information to assess your complaint, we may not be able to act on your report.
What to Expect After Reporting Information to the Hotline
Upon receipt of your information, OIG may take any one of the following actions:
- Open an investigation, audit, evaluation, or inspection;
- Refer the matter to the U.S. Department of State or USAGM management for appropriate review and action; or
- Refer the information to another Federal agency, including other Offices of Inspector General.
If the information we receive does not have enough detail for us to proceed or if we cannot assess the merit of the information, we may postpone taking action until further, specific details are reported.
If you have provided your identify, unless you are contacted directly by one of our special agents or other staff, there will be no communication from our office to you except for correspondence that may advise you that your matter has been referred to the U.S.Department of State or USAGM management, another Federal or law enforcement agency, or to another entity.
The information you provide will be processed according to our internal policies and guidelines, and appropriate action will be taken pursuant to those policies and guideline. The decision to take action relating to a Hotline report through an investigation, audit evaluation, inspection, or otherwise is made solely by OIG.
While we appreciate the information you report, we will not provide you with the "status" of any action(s) taken as the result of your report. You may, however, request information about an investigation by filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. Please click here to submit a FOIA request for OIG records. Please click here to submit a FOIA request for Department of State records. Due to privacy concerns, you will not generally be entitled to receive information on disciplinary or adverse action taken against specific individuals involved in an OIG investigation.
Thank you for reporting your concerns to us and for your participation in preventing waste, fraud and abuse.
Additional Information