he Treasury Department is expanding its use of financial enforcement tools, launching a new whistleblower portal aimed at uncovering fraud, money laundering and sanctions violations, officials said Thursday.
The initiative, unveiled by the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, establishes a dedicated webpage to confidentially accept tips related to violations of the Bank Secrecy Act, U.S. sanctions programs and other laws designed to protect the financial system.
Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said the department will offer financial awards for eligible tips that result in successful enforcement actions.
“President Trump has been clear that Americans have a right to know that their tax dollars are not being diverted to fund acts of global terror or to fund luxury cars for fraudsters,” Mr. Bessent said in a statement. “At Treasury, we follow the money.”
The move builds on broader anti-fraud efforts announced last month in Minnesota, where Mr. Bessent outlined a series of measures to combat government-benefits fraud schemes that officials say have cost taxpayers billions of dollars. Among them: increased scrutiny of money-services businesses, expanded reporting requirements intended to accelerate prosecutions and asset recovery, and enhanced cooperation with financial institutions to disrupt organized fraud rings.
Treasury also said it is training law-enforcement agencies to better leverage financial data in complex investigations and is working to identify schemes exploiting child-nutrition programs and other public benefits.
Separately, the Internal Revenue Service plans to launch a dedicated fraud task force focused on alleged misuse of funds by certain 501(c)(3) tax-exempt entities, according to officials.
FinCEN’s Office of the Whistleblower will administer the program, which is structured to provide monetary awards to individuals whose information leads to enforcement actions resulting in financial penalties. The framework mirrors whistleblower programs operated by other federal agencies, including the Securities and Exchange Commission, which have generated billions of dollars in sanctions and fines over the past decade.
Officials encouraged individuals with knowledge of potential violations to submit detailed documentation promptly. Tips may involve domestic or international conduct tied to illicit finance, sanctions evasion or violations of anti-money-laundering statutes.
The expanded whistleblower effort reflects the administration’s emphasis on financial transparency and enforcement as central tools in combating fraud, terrorism financing and sanctions evasion, particularly amid heightened geopolitical tensions and growing scrutiny of cross-border financial flows.
By: DNU staff