AFOSI provides tips to stop fraud Published Sept. 8, 2009 By Courtesy of the Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Det. 301 AFOSI SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. -- Fraud affecting government assets has been around since the act of procurement of goods and services began. The assets and resources at Scott are no less a victim than any other Department of Defense installation. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations Det. 301 at Scott has made it a priority to take a serious interest in all acts of fraud affecting Team Scott. AFOSI Det. 301 has formed a team of dedicated economic and base-level fraud investigative agents who look into a vast variety of fraud allegations, conduct economic and base-level fraud investigations, recover falsely attained Air Force assets and help find justice for Air Force victims of fraudulent activity. These AFOSI fraud agents mainly target contracting fraud and procurement fraud where there is risk of high-dollar value losses. Usually a major base-level contract is involved. These agents also investigate allegations of fraud involving DoD contracts where the U.S. Air Force or U.S. Transportation Command is the victim. This is called Central Systems Fraud and pertains to multi-million dollar assets. AFOSI needs the eyes and ears of all Air Force members who can identify signs or hints of possible fraudulent activity in their environments. It's all about what you notice or don't notice in your own familiar day-to-day activities that may be the key to identifying one or more pieces of a much bigger picture. Fraud, which is just a simple word for lying, cheating and/or stealing to gain an unfair advantage over another, goes unreported for two reasons: One, people who see the signs don't realize what they are witnessing or take into account what may actually be happening, and two, the individuals do not know where or how to properly report it. A good way to be aware if fraud is happening in the work center is to be aware of the possible indicators. An indicator, though not necessarily a crime, is a condition that points out an irregularity in a procedure. Here are some of the basic and most common indicators of fraud, waste and abuse: - Intentional mismarking or mislabeling of products and materials - Unexplained or unusual relationships between individuals which extends beyond a professional setting - Photo copies where original documentation needs to be - Frequent and unjustified documentation alteration - Missing documentation or lack of paper trails - Individuals living beyond their means without a justifiable explanation - Persons living in the dormitories receiving Basic Allowance for Housing. - Persons receiving BAH who have meal cards - Multiple customer complaints in one particular area - Irregular and unexplained work hours - Inadequate physical safeguards over resources Though it may seem small, and undetached from anything else, noticing and reporting possible fraudulent behavior is the first step to keeping the Air Force's assets safe and members safe from fraudulent activity. Report all suspicious activity involving fraud to AFOSI Det. 301 at 256-5473. After all, "There is no kind of dishonesty into which otherwise good people fall, than that of defrauding the government."--Benjamin Franklin.