Base-Level Fraud Office fights deception, saves tax dollars

  • Published
  • By Amy Rollins
  • Skywrighter Staff

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio -- An office dedicated to protecting Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, the federal government and tax payer dollars from losses to the government of $10,000 or more is asking for the base community’s assistance and vigilance. The Air Force Office of Special Investigations typically investigates losses of $10,000 or more in value but also reserves the authority to determine investigative threshold value.

 

Special Agent Matthew Heckman of the Major Crimes Branch, AFOSI, in Bldg. 70, Area A, said his organization is trying to increase its visibility and raise fraud awareness within the base community in the hopes of preventing and detecting any fraud and government losses at or above its threshold amount.

“We are available. We are here to assist with investigating fraud that primarily affects Wright-Patterson AFB and associated installations,” he said.

 

Base-level fraud might involve contracts ranging from construction to services or pay and allowance matters. Some examples of fraud include, but are not limited to, the following: product substitution – the government does not get what it pays for such as the government receiving items made in China when the contract for said item specified Made in America; a conflict of interest – someone having personal or financial interest in a company gets awarded the contract; pay and allowance schemes – weigh tickets during a move appear to be wrongfully inflated; workman’s comp schemes – collecting benefits to which someone is not entitled, or claiming to be injured at work and were not.

 

While he cannot discuss current or past fraud cases, Heckman provided some insight, defining fraud as wrongful/criminal deception resulting in financial or personal gain.

 

“Are contractors consistently asking for expensive equipment or specialty items, but use a cheaper method than what they requested?” he asked. “Are you seeing a personal/financial interest in a company, or someone passing government-only information to a contractor? Did a company agree to deliver work, goods or services but did not meet their contractual responsibilities? Fraud may have been committed when one sees a high volume of complaints, constant maintenance or consistently faulty items.

 

“We can’t be afraid to ask questions. To deter and combat base-level fraud involves education and letting people know what to look for,” Heckman said. “When we do briefings and discuss fraud, sometimes people may not understand. It can be a difficult discipline for some to grasp.

“It is our responsibility to introduce fraud, ensure people understand and get comfortable in their reporting. This will increase awareness. We do this by providing examples of fraud to people which relate to their daily activities,” he said. “When we do this, we see eyes light up and now we know people have connected.”

 

If you think something fraudulent is happening in your work center, call the Base-Level Fraud Office, Heckman said.

 

“We desire this communication so we can begin a two-way discussion. We want people to reach out to us and be comfortable speaking with us,” he said.

 

“We also want people to know we have resources, consultants and experts available to us. We work closely with local, state and federal law enforcement agencies such as the FBI, Secret Service and the IRS.”

 

“We are training our personnel to be the eyes and ears in detecting fraud,” said Lt. Col. Randal Pendleton, commander, AFOSI 10th Field Investigations Squadron.

 

To contact the Major Crimes Branch, call 937-257-3000, option 1, and ask for the Base Level Fraud Office.