AFOSI: Fraud, waste, abuse investigations a core responsibility Published Sept. 2, 2014 By Special Agent Jason Gonzalez Air Force Office of Special Investigations, Detachment 322 FAIRCHILD AIR FORCE BASE, Wash. -- The Air Force Office of Special Investigations needs your help identifying and reporting fraudulent activities at Fairchild AFB. Besides our general crimes and counterintelligence missions, a significant amount of resources are assigned to fraud investigations. In the past five years, AFOSI has recovered more than $230 million defrauded from the U.S. Air Force worldwide. This accomplishment is pretty amazing, considering only 10 percent of fraudulent activity is reported and/or discovered. Imagine how much money we could recover or save if more people were educated on what to look for. So, don't let anyone walk away with our money! We've all heard the words Fraud, Waste and Abuse, but would you really know what it is if you see it, and if so, do you know who to report it to? Let's start off with what fraud is. Fraud is defined as the crime of obtaining something of value by intentional deception. Simply put, fraud is theft! Unfortunately, it's not always going to be that simple or obvious. Fraud comes in many forms and can often be difficult to find. Bribery, identity theft, money laundering, embezzlement and submitting false documentation are just some examples. These things can get complicated, and often times, are covered up very well. Only those who are most familiar with the system can find ways to steal money or other products without setting off any alarms. So to help you become more aware of what to look for, the following are some indicators of fraudulent activities: Concentration of authority and/or responsibility of one particular person for an entire process (i.e. the Government Purchase Card holder is also the approval and billing official) Inadequate feedback or results of operations Lack of independent verification of the accuracy of records, transactions and reports Vague and confusing procedures and standards Inability to identify responsibility Lack of adequate supervision or oversight Unrealistic budgetary and/or acquisition requirements Inadequate physical safeguards over resources Failure to strictly enforce contract provisions and failure to correct deficiencies identified by existing systems Now that you know a little about detecting fraudulent activities, how do you report it? Contact AFOSI Detachment 322 today and tell us what you know. You can visit our office at 110 N. Chennault Ave, Bldg. 644 (located on the back of the post office). Want to remain anonymous? Call us at (509) 247-2591. You can also call (509) 247-1674). You may also send an email to Jason.Gonzalez.1@us.af.mil or Dwayne.Harris.4@us.af.mil.