We note that 21 of the 54 hotline reports (38.9 percent) were state-related. The majority of these reports pertained to alleged agency mismanagement. As of June 30, 2025, we had resolved directly or by referral 2 of the 21 state-related reports to the hotline, and we determined that 4 reports were unfounded, unsubstantiated, or no action was required. As of July 1, 2025, 15 of the 21 state-related hotline reports remained under review.
Fraud, Waste, and Mismanagement Hotline
Semiannual Report: January 2025 - June 2025Report 25-11 | July 2025
SUMMARY
As required by s. 13.94 (1) (br), Wis. Stats., the Legislative Audit Bureau operates a toll-free hotline (1-877-FRAUD-17) that allows the public and individuals within state government to confidentially report alleged fraud, waste, and mismanagement. Callers may remain anonymous, and the Bureau is statutorily required to protect their identities even when other information is made public.
We highlight the activity of the Bureau’s Fraud, Waste, and Mismanagement Hotline for the period from January 1, 2025, through June 30, 2025, including the 21 state-related reports we received.
We received a total of 54 reports from January 1, 2025, through June 30, 2025
We highlight findings related to selected hotline reports
Specifically, we highlight findings related to selected hotline reports we resolved since the publication of our last semiannual report (report 25-03), including:
- statutory noncompliance by the Department of Administration (DOA) in making statutorily required transfers to the Local Government Fund during fiscal year (FY) 2024-25;
- noncompliance by certain agencies in following DOA statewide mandatory contracts when making furniture purchases by using a purchasing card; and
- noncompliance with certain administrative code provisions and other noncompliance by the Department of Workforce Development in its administration of the Business Enterprise Program during FY 2022-23 and FY 2023-24.