Your options for reporting grant fraud depend on both the source of the grant and nature of the fraud. If you believe that an individual, business, or organization is committing grant fraud, you can report it to the granting agency. In addition, if you suspect the misuse of a research grant, you may be able to report your suspicions to an individual or office responsible for monitoring grants at the school or institution where the research is taking place. If you have been the victim of fraud as a result of being offered or promised a grant, you may be able to report the crime to local law enforcement or other government agencies.
The steps that you should take to report grant fraud depend on the nature of the grant and the grant recipient. In many countries, government agencies provide grants for many different uses. In some places, such as the United States, government agencies usually have some type of accountability office that is charged with monitoring and investigating the use of funds. If you suspect grant fraud, you may typically be directed to contact this office to discuss your concerns. You may also be able to report your suspicions to an office within the organization that received the grant money, particularly if you believe that the misuse of funds is the responsibility of one individual or group of individuals and is not condoned by the organization as a whole.
If the grant money came from a private agency, you should contact that agency and ask to be directed to the office that issues grants. Whether you are reporting private or public grant fraud, it is a good idea to have with you documentation of your concerns at the time that you make the report. This will add credibility to your story and can make the job of the investigator much easier.
In some cases, con artists claiming to represent a granting agency may approach you about the opportunity of receiving a grant. The con artist may then ask for your bank account information, using it to withdraw money from your account without your consent. If you fall victim to this type of fraud, you should report the incident to your bank, local law enforcement, as well as appropriate government agencies in your area. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission tracks this type of crime, and you may also wish to contact your state attorney's general office so that it can monitor and take steps to prevent this sort of activity in the future.
