Hotlines - Reporting Fraud, Non-Compliance and Misconduct

How Can I Report Suspected Fraud?

Employees, students and anyone who does business with the University of Houston-Downtown can report fraud, waste, abuse, non-compliance or misconduct (such as sexual abuse) in one of the following ways:

 

Hotline Notification Reporter Can Remain Anonymous	Internal Notificatiion
MySafeCampus Hotline www.mysafecampus.com or 1-800-716-9007   The State Auditor’s Office www.sao.state.tx.us or 1-800-892-8348 (1-800-TX AUDIT)	Notify your Supervisor   Notify UHD Management   Notify the Compliance Officer        (Mary Cook at (713) 222-5340, room 621 S, mcook@uhd.edu )   Notify the Director of Internal Audit     (Don Guyton at (713) 743-8000)

Fraud FAQs

MySafeCampus

MySafeCampus is a 24-hour incident reporting system that is completely confidential and anonymous.  Now it’s easy to report campus incidents and concerns.  Either log on to www.MySafeCampus.com or call toll-free 800-716-9007 to make a report 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

 

This confidential reporting system will instantly and discreetly forward the report to the appropriate persons at UHD and within the UH System.  The individual making the report will be provided with a confidential access number and asked to generate a personal password.  This access number and personal password will allow the individual to anonymously re-enter the site for updates at any time.  The individual will be able to both send and receive anonymous messages pertaining to their report, and if desired, participate in any follow up.

 

The issues that can be addressed via this confidential system fall into two categories:

• Compliance and Regulation Violations
• Fraud

 

MySafeCampus is:

Anonymous Fast and Easy to Use 24 hours per day/7 days per week

Confidential Free Safe

This service is not an emergency hotline of a substitute for using 911.

In the event a life-threatening emergency, users are to immediately call 911.

For more information about MySafeCampus, contact your Compliance Officer, Mary Cook. 

 

All contacts are confidential and individuals using the reporting system are assured anonymity when they request it.  UHD and the UH System reserve the right to act or not act on any information provided unless required to do so by law.  Neither UHD nor the UH System is required to disclose its response or actions pursuant to any information that may be provided or reported.  The intentional misreporting of information may be actionable and subject to criminal investigation.

 

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State Auditor's Office Hotline

You may also report suspected fraud, waste, and abuse to the State Auditor's Office Hotline at 1-800-TX-AUDIT (1-800-892-8348). The State Auditor’s Office provides additional information at its website, http://sao.fraud.state.tx.us.

 

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How to File a MySafeCampus Report

1. Go to the MySafeCampus web page: www.mysafecampus.com

 

2. Click “Go!” to make a report.

 

3. Type “University of Houston-Downtown” as the institution and click “Enter.”

 

4. Select the correct campus from the drop down list.

 

5. Complete the Electronic Incident Report, which includes the following sections:

 

Check the box indicating you have read the Terms and Conditions Approximate date and time of incident Location of incident Incident description – choose one of the following under Type:

Compliance/Regulation Violations (i.e. institutional compliance issues), or Fraud

Please list the individuals you suspect may be involved Confidentiality – choose one of the following:

Remain completely anonymous (i.e. both university and MySafeCampus), or Remain anonymous towards institution (i.e., university only), or Do not care about anonymity

Your personal follow-up password – allows you to track the progress of the investigation

 

6. Review and submit your report.

 

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Fraud FAQs

What is fraud?

What are some examples of fraud?

How can I report suspected fraud?

Am I protected against retaliation if I report suspected fraud or compliance violations?

What types of issues should NOT be reported through MySafeCampus and what are the other avenues for reporting these issues?

What is fraud?

Fraud is the use of your occupation for personal enrichment through the deliberate misuse or misapplication of the employing organization’s resources or assets. Fraud is normally considered to be a criminal act, and employees who commit fraud may be terminated, fined, and/or imprisoned depending on the severity of the fraudulent act. 

For additional information, see:

System Administrative Memorandum 01.C.04 Reporting/Investigating Fraudulent Acts.

 

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What are some examples of fraud?

Examples of fraud include:

Stealing cash or checks   Falsifying timesheets or workers comp claims   Falsifying expense reimbursements   Personal use of university credit cards or long distance codes   Stealing property or supplies   Personal use of university assets (occasional local phone calls are okay)   Outside employment that conflicts with university employment   Awarding contracts to friends or relatives   Awarding scholarships/grants based on personal or financial relationships as opposed to merit   Seeking or accepting gifts or favors from vendors or contractors in exchange for placing orders or awarding contracts   Purposefully falsifying financial statements

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Am I protected against retaliation if I report suspected fraud or compliance violations?

Yes.  Employees who report unlawful activity in good faith are protected by The Texas Whistleblower Act (Texas Government Code, Chapter 554.002.  The reporting employee cannot be suspended or terminated from employment.

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What types of issues should NOT be reported through MySafeCampus and what are the other avenues for reporting these issues?

Examples of issues that should not be reported through MySafeCampus include:

 

Issue in the Workplace	Call or Contact
Employee/supervisor disputes   Affirmative Action/EEO issues   Harassment or misconduct	Campus Relations/Affirmative Action Officer at (713) 222-5818
Violent crimes, breaking and entering, or burglary   Medical emergencies   Fire	UHD Police Department at (713) 221-8065 or (713) 221-8911
Hazardous waste spill	Environmental Health and Safety Manager at  (713) 221-8040
Problem with the building	Facilities Management at  (713) 221-8026

 

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Page maintained by cooka@uhd.edu

Last updated or reviewed on 7/14/11