Newsroom

Thursday, January 9, 2020

Harris County, Texas – January 9, 2020, Harris County Judge Hidalgo announced that the HarrisCounty Auditor’s Office has launched an anonymous reporting system to help identify instancesof fraud, waste or abuse in county government. The hotline, accessible 24/7 via phone or securewebsite, allows an individual to report suspicious activity such as forgery and excessive orimproper use of county assets.

“Our work to manage public funds and programs is a sacred trust given to us by the residents ofHarris County. Under our watch, county business will be conducted in the open, and in a lawful,ethical manner,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. “If you saw suspicious activity in yourchecking account, you would report it right away. We seek the same urgency from ouremployees, vendors and community members who are often the first to notice signs of potentialfraud. We’re serious about bringing transparency and accountability to county government andencourage anyone who suspects fraudulent activity to report it right away.”

The reporting system, available in English and Spanish, will be managed by a third party toensure confidentiality. When a case is generated, the Auditor’s Office will review within 72hours and may request additional information through the third party’s anonymous follow-upprocess. Credible cases will be investigated by the County Auditor’s Office, referred to theappropriate internal division, or escalated to the County Attorney’s Office.

“If county governments had a Fortune 500 list, we’d be in the Top 10 with more than 10,000monthly transactions exceeding $140 million,” said Harris County Auditor Mike Post. “In recentyears, we’ve focused on cybersecurity and heavily scrutinizing and verifying every payment thatgoes out. But we recognize the potential for fraud, waste or abuse is significant for a county ofour size. We want to make sure every employee, vendor, and community member is safelyempowered to say something if they see something.”

To report cases of fraud, waste or abuse related to Harris County government funds andresources:

• Call 866-556-8181 and follow the voice prompts
• Visit harriscountytx.gov to fill out an online form