Whistleblower
Definition
An individual, typically an employee or former employee, who reports suspected misconduct to an internal hotline, audit committee, regulator, or law enforcement body. Whistleblower protections vary by jurisdiction: the US Dodd-Frank Act, the EU Whistleblower Protection Directive, and India's Whistle Blowers Protection Act 2014 each define different scope and remedies.
Related terms
- Anonymous hotline
- A reporting channel that accepts information without recording the reporter's identity. Effective hotlines use third-party operators so that the employing organisation cannot...
- Audit committee referral
- A mandate from the board's audit committee to conduct a forensic investigation. Because the audit committee is independent of management, this pathway...
- Dodd-Frank Act (2010)
- United States federal legislation that created the SEC Whistleblower Program, authorising awards of ten to thirty percent of sanctions exceeding one million...
- Engagement trigger
- The event, report, or observation that initiates a forensic audit engagement. Common triggers include whistleblower reports, regulatory referrals, audit anomalies, and management...
- EU Directive 2019/1937
- The EU Whistleblower Protection Directive, requiring organisations with fifty or more employees to establish internal reporting channels, acknowledge reports within seven days,...
- Predication
- The reasonable basis that justifies opening a fraud examination. The ACFE holds that no examination should begin without adequate predication, meaning a...
- Referral pathway
- The institutional or personal channel through which the trigger reaches the forensic auditor. Pathways include the audit committee, internal audit, external auditor,...
- Regulatory referral
- A direction from an external oversight body such as the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the UK Financial Conduct Authority, India's Serious...
- Retaliation
- Adverse action taken against a reporter in response to a protected disclosure. Common forms include dismissal, demotion, harassment, pay reduction, and exclusion...
- Tone at the top
- The ethical stance, values, and behaviour modelled by an organisation's senior leadership. When executives consistently enforce standards and address misconduct regardless of...
Explained in these topics
- Engagement Triggers and Referral PathwaysAn individual, typically an employee or former employee, who reports suspected misconduct to an internal hotline, audit committee, regulator, or law enforcemen...
- Whistleblower Programmes, Hotlines, and Anti-Fraud CultureA person who reports suspected wrongdoing, typically within or related to an organisation, through an internal or external channel. Legal definitions vary: som...