Audit Tipline - Good Government is Stewardship
In DuPage County, every elected official and every staff member shares a common mission - providing efficient, effective, good government to the residents of our County. Together, we are stewards of the tax dollars entrusted to us. Wasteful spending or the abuse or misuse of County assets interferes with accomplishing this mission of providing good government to our residents and fraud, of course, betrays this mission. Our first duty as stewards is to prevent fraudulent schemes or the waste or misuse of County assets, but our duty as stewards also calls us to report instances of fraud, waste or abuse so steps can be taken to stop harmful actions and institute procedures to prevent future occurrences.
It is well established that an Audit Tipline is a key safeguard and a best practice for uncovering fraud, waste and the abuse or misuse of organization resources. "As reported in the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners' (ACFE) 2020 Global Fraud Study, tips are consistently the most common fraud detection method. The study found 43% of frauds were uncovered from tips, with employees being the most common source of tips. * * * The presence of a reporting hotline has a substantial positive impact on how frauds are discovered. According to the ACFE's study, organizations with a hotline saw a much higher likelihood that a fraud would be detected by a tip than organizations without a hotline." [*Secretary of State Oregon Audits Division / Government Waste Hotline Calendar Year 2020 / June 2021 / Report 2021-18]
The DuPage County Auditor's Tipline was first established in 2009. Ever since, this Tipline has provided a confidential and secure means to report evidence or suspicion of fraud, waste, or the misuse of County resources. Nationwide experience with tiplines indicates that tips most often come from employees, however the Audit Tipline is available to everyone, including members of the public. There are several ways to submit a tip, listed below. More information is available at the Audit Tipline FAQ.
Audit Tipline - Call 630-75-AUDIT (630-752-8348)
During business hours, a member of the Auditor's staff will answer the phone, if available. Otherwise, a voicemail can be left. Calls made outside of business hours will be directed to voicemail. In addition, you can ask to schedule an appointment for an in-person meeting.
Audit email - audithotline@dupagecounty.gov
When sending an email, please provide as much information as possible. You can also attach supporting documents.
Report now - online
Tips can be submitted online using the Audit Tipline submission form. This form identifies much of the information we typically request. You can also attach supporting documents to the online submission. In addition, you can print the form and submit by email, in-person or through the US Postal Service or other delivery service.
What Happens Next?
Each report received through the Audit Tipline will be evaluated by professional staff. If the individual submitting information to the Audit Tipline chooses to provide contact information, we may request additional information. After evaluation, a course of action will be chosen based on the specific facts and circumstances of each situation. This can include opening an internal audit file and/or referral to other agencies such as the Sheriff, State's Attorney, or other appropriate investigatory agencies.
After our initial review, and if we have contact information for you, we will inform you whether the tip is (a) within our jurisdiction, or (b) outside our jurisdiction. If the tip is outside our jurisdiction, we will inform you whether the tip is being referred to another appropriate agency or whether the file is being closed.
Additional information regarding Tipline processes and procedures is available at the Audit Tipline FAQ.
Anonymous Tips, Confidentiality and Retaliation
Anonymous tips will be reviewed, however if we cannot contact you, we will be unable to request additional information. Also we will be unable to keep you informed regarding the status of our review.
Confidentiality: For County employees, Illinois law provides: "(e) To the extent allowed by law, the identity of an employee reporting information about an improper governmental action shall be kept confidential unless the employee waives confidentiality in writing." 50 ILCS 105/4.1 (e)
For others, the policy of the Office of the DuPage County Auditor is that the identity of any person providing information through the Tipline shall be kept confidential, except as required by law, or if the person providing information waives confidentiality. In addition, all information obtained through the Tipline is deemed to part of the internal work papers of the Auditor's Office. Our policy is to never disclose such information outside of this Office unless required by law or as needed to facilitate investigations following referral to outside agencies.
Retaliation: Illinois law prohibits retaliation against employees or contractors for providing reports of improper governmental action. 50 ILCS 105/4.1 (a)
However, the Office of the DuPage County Auditor does not and will not provide legal advice to any person. If any person considering submitting tips has concerns about confidentiality, or retaliation, that person is encouraged to consult private legal counsel.
Additional information regarding the Tipline is available at the Audit Tipline FAQ.
