Members of the public and Treasury employees may file a complaint with the Treasury Office of Inspector General (OIG) pursuant to the Inspector General Act of 1978.
What types of activity should I report to Treasury OIG?
Treasury OIG is responsible for investigating all matters related to the Treasury Department with the exception of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) matters. The following types of violations should be reported to our office:
- Some Instances of Treasury Check Forgery
- Subversion of an OCC or OTS Bank Examination Process or Systemic Weakness of a Regulated Financial Institution
- Unregistered and Unlicensed Money Service Businesses (MSB)
- Contract, Procurement, and Grant Fraud related to Treasury Programs and Operations
- Computer Crimes affecting Treasury Infrastructure
- Threats Against Treasury Employees or Facilities
- Misuse of the Treasury Seal, Symbols or Obligations
- Bribery, Kickbacks, and Gratuities
- False Statements and False Claims
- Conflicts of Interest and Ethics Violations
- Travel and Purchase Card Fraud
- Theft and/or Abuse of Government Property
- American Recovery and Investment Act of 2009 (ARRA) Violations
- Violation(s) of Criminal Law and/or the Civil False Claims Act in Connection with a Federal Contract
Report any allegation by using one of the following methods:
(Matters involving the IRS programs or operations should be reported to the Treasury Inspector General for the Tax Administration (TIGTA) at: 1-800-366-4484)
(Issues involving a home loan such as refinancing, modifications or that involve a conflict between you and your financial institution should be reported to the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) at: 1-888-995-4673 or the Hope Hotline at: or 1-800-613-6743)
Filing an Anonymous Complaint
You may anonymously submit a complaint through any of the three (3) submittal methods outlined above. For your convenience, an online complaint form has been developed for your use. Please be advised that filing anonymously may limit our ability to conduct a complete investigation, if warranted.
Filing a Confidential Complaint
You may request your complaint be handled confidentially if you believe disclosing your identity may create a hardship or place you in danger. If you elect confidentiality, it is suggested (but not required) that you provide us with as much contact information as you are comfortable, in the event we need additional details.
Treasury Employees Filing a Confidential Complaint
Treasury OIG will not disclose the identity of any Treasury employee who requests confidentiality, without the consent of the employee, unless the IG determines such disclosure is unavoidable during the course of the investigation.
Members of the Public Filing a Confidential Complaint
Complainants who are not Treasury employees do not have an automatic right to confidentiality under Section 7(b) of the IG Act. Treasury OIG will protect the identity of non-Treasury complainants to the maximum extent allowed by law and only release information to those officials who have a need to know.
What to Include in your Complaint (be as specific as possible):
- Relevant names, dates, times, locations.
- If applicable, the name of the contractor or grantee, contract or grant numbers, and award dates.
- A detailed description of the alleged wrongdoing, the Treasury facility, personnel, and/or program affected.
- How you became aware of the problem, efforts made thus far to correct the problem, and current status of the problem cited by the alleged wrongdoing.
What to Expect After Submitting a Hotline Complaint
- We cannot provide information regarding what action(s) have been taken on any allegation reported to our office.
- Federal regulations prohibit the disclosure of information contained in law enforcement records even to the individual submitting the allegation(s).
- Unless you are contacted directly by one of our investigators, there will be no communication from our office, outside of correspondence which may advise you that your matter has been referred to another entity if your submitted allegations do not fall under the jurisdiction or cognizance of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
- Under no circumstances will our office provide you with the status of action taken on any allegation. The information you provide will be processed according to our internal policies and guidelines, and appropriate action will be taken, as determined.
- For information and procedures on submitting a request under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), visit Treasury's FOIA page