Report City of Providence “Waste, Fraud, and Abuse” With New App - Anonymously

Report City of Providence “Waste, Fraud, and Abuse” With New App - Anonymously

The City of Providence now has a new app where “waste, fraud, and abuse” can be reported - anonymously.

The Office of the Internal Auditor has launched “Speak Up PVD” for city employees, vendors, and constituents.

"This is something that needs to be done. It was recommended in a recent forensic audit," said City of Providence Internal Auditor Gina Costa. "People who need to report things anonymously now have a resource."

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According to Costa, it is a "tool for the taxpayers."

SEE THE APP HERE

The app describes examples of fraud as:

*Falsifying financial records to cover up theft
*Theft or misuse of city money, equipment, supplies, or other materials
*Falsifying payroll information
*Use of city property for personal gain
*Soliciting or accepting a bribe or kick-back

Examples of “waste” that can be reported include: 

*Purchase of unneeded supplies or equipment
*Purchase of goods at inflated prices

And “abuse” is described as the following:

*Failure to report damages to city equipment or property
*Serious abuse of city time, such as significant time away from work or significant use of city time for personal business
*Abuse of travel reimbursement system
*Receiving favors for awarding contracts to certain vendors. 

The app also describes the grounds for reporting “misappropriation of assets” - and “corruption.” 

 

How It Works

The “SpeakUp” app - powered by Whispli - explains how the process works. 

The first step requires users to “complete a report.”

“Once you start your report, you can upload files, save it as a draft to complete later, and submit it whenever you are ready,” according to the app. 

Then, users can engage in a “safe” chat function.

“As soon as the report is submitted, you can start chatting with the City of Providence prod, whether you’ve chosen to do so anonymously or not,” according to the app.

The app then enables users to check their report status. 

“You can later check the status of your report at any time by clicking ‘follow-up’ on the organization page. The option to continued the dialogue is very important, as further information might possibly be required to solve the report fully,” says the app. 

The Office of the Internal Auditor says that once its own office audit reports are “completed and released” they will become public documents and published on the OIA website. 

“The City of Providence’s Office of the Internal Auditor (OIA) independently promotes ethical, efficient, and effective governance for the citizens of Providence,” according to the office. “The OIA prioritizes allegations of fraud, waste, or abuse involving City employees and other and other entities receiving money or support from the City.”