GEP FRAUD HOTLINE
Dear Colleagues,
GEP is pleased to inform you of the appointment of Advance Call as the independent service provider that will host the GEP Fraud Hotline from September 2021.
The GEP Fraud hotline is an anonymous and confidential reporting service that is available 24/7 and provides employees and other interested parties with various communication channels to disclose fraud, corruption, theft, misconduct or any other unethical behaviour or practice in the organisation.
The international Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) recently published a global study on occupational fraud and abuse, concluding that tip-offs are the primary method of fraud detection.
Employees contribute to more than 50% of tip-offs, and fraud losses are 50% smaller at organisations with whistleblowing hotlines.
The Protected Disclosures Act (PDA) protects Whistleblowers who wish to disclose possible unlawful or irregular conduct in their organisation. Under the PDA, Whistleblowers have the right to remain anonymous when making a disclosure. Advance Call offers the Whistleblowers the option to provide their contact information with the explicit understanding that it will NOT be shared with the recipient or anyone else. In such cases, Advance Call will contact the Whistleblower to obtain more information, if needed, thereby increasing the chances of a disclosure being successfully investigated and concluded.
Disclosures can be made on any incidents or behaviour that may possibly be considered unlawful or irregular. The disclosures received are categorised as follows:
- Fraud (forgery, falsification of documents/claims, identity theft, misrepresentation)
- Corruption (any form of bribery, third party collusion, contract and procurement irregularities)
- Theft (unlawful and intentional removal of company property with the intention to permanently deprive the company of the benefit thereof)
- Misconduct (harassment, any form of discrimination, intimidation, abuse/misuse of company property, time and attendance abuse, abuse of authority)
- Unethical behaviour (favouritism, nepotism, conflicts of interest)
How to make a disclosure:
Disclosures can be reported to the GEP Fraud Hotline 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year. The disclosure is captured by Advance Call and reported to a recipient within GEP for the matter to be investigated.
The Whistleblower can also enquire about the status of a disclosure at any time and request feedback. They can also provide additional information and/or evidence.