Trump Announces Fraud Reporting Incentive Program Where Whistleblowers Get 1% Commission

WASHINGTON—President Donald Trump on Tuesday unveiled an incentive program that gives fraud whistleblowers a one percent commission on funds recovered from fraudsters.

Trump revealed the Fraud Whistleblower Incentive Program alongside Vice President JD Vance in the Oval Office and independent journalist Nick Shirley, who brought attention to alleged fraud at the “Quality Learing Center” in Minnesota.

Trump said that journalists and all Americans can go to fraud.gov, created by Chief Design Officer Joe Gebbia, to report fraud in their communities.

“If you turn somebody in and you, let’s say, report, and you find a billion dollars, we are giving a commission to that person of one percent. It’s a lot of money, and if it’s $10 billion, $200 billion, $400 billion, we’re giving a 1 percent commission to that person,” Trump said. “You have to prove that you were the one, and prove that it was you.”

Trump encouraged reporters to participate as well. 

“…If a reporter turns somebody in, you’ll have to get approval, perhaps from your wonderful newspaper, but if you turn somebody in, you get a 1 percent commission. You may turn it down, or you may say, ‘I’m not going to be a reporter any longer. This is too easy,’” Trump quipped. 

Trump said he predicts the “phone will be ringing off the hook” and that the incentive program will help the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which is chaired by Vice President JD Vance. 

Vance said Trump conceived the idea of the commission during a conversation they were having about getting citizens to help in reporting fraud. 

“The president said, ‘Well, do a commission, do an incentive program. Actually reward people when they help save the country, but also save the American taxpayer a lot of money. Then they should get to share in the benefits that they’ve created,’” Vance recounted. 

He added that he and the president were “thrilled” that Shirley could join them. 

“And the final thing that I’ll say here is we’re… actually thrilled to be joined by Nick Shirley, who, as the president said, has done more than anybody that I’ve met recently as a citizen journalist to uncover the fraud. Nick is going to get a financial reward for doing so. I know that’s not why he did it,” Vance said. 

Shirley said there has never before been an incentive to expose fraud. 

“But now finally people have an incentive to actually go out and expose fraud, and when you expose fraud, you help save America. People understand that,” Shirley said. “These fraudsters take from the poor and needy who actually need the services that we all work hard to pay for… and they then buy Mercedes, they then send that money overseas.”