In a press release published on May 18, 2023 the Institute of Internal Auditors (The IIA) and the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) presented their report: “Building a Best-in-Class Whistleblower Hotline Program”.
The report includes benchmarking data, evaluates the factors contributing to program effectiveness, explores reasons for not having a hotline program, and examines regional differences in such programs.
The IIA and ACFE conducted a global survey, with 75% of respondents indicating their organizations have a whistleblower hotline program. The report highlights the significance of whistleblower tips in detecting fraud and emphasizes the importance of effective hotline programs for reporting suspicions within organizations.
What they found was that a successful hotline program focuses on anonymity, awareness, follow-up action, and retaliation protection as key considerations. Most organizations (83%) offer multiple reporting channels as part of their hotline programs, the majority of hotlines (91%) allow for anonymous reports, around 72% of hotline programs include an official anti-retaliation policy.
Access to the report is available to ACFE members, while non-members can request access through the following link.