We note that 63 of the 105 hotline reports (60.0 percent) were state-related. The majority of these reports pertained to alleged agency mismanagement. As of June 30, 2026, we had resolved directly or by referral 7 of the 63 state-related reports to the hotline, and we determined that 18 reports were unfounded, unsubstantiated, or no action was required. As of July 1, 2026, 38 of the 63 state-related hotline reports remained under review.
Fraud, Waste, and Mismanagement Hotline
Semiannual Report: January 2026 - June 2026Report 26-07 | July 2026
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 include information on our website about matters investigated by the Bureau.
We highlight the activity of the Bureau’s Fraud, Waste, and Mismanagement Hotline for the period from January 1, 2026, through June 30, 2026, including the 63 state-related reports we received.
We received a total of 105 reports from January 1, 2026, through June 30, 2026
We highlight two selected hotline reports we resolved
We highlight selected hotline reports we resolved since the publication of our last semiannual report (report 26-02), including hotline reports related to:
- the Department of Corrections, which provided free pre-embossed stamped envelopes to adult inmates; and
- the Department of Health Services, which contracted with a nonemergency medical transportation vendor that continued to report unsuccessful rides in excess of those allowed by contract terms.