Readers' Comments
Total Comments: 46
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Charge Card Abuse? Who Cares?
Total Comments: 46
Page 2 of 5
Page 2 of 5
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September 6, 2008
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Gov't credit card/purchase card abuse
IRS
Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:44 AM
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I am OUTRAGED by federal employees using government credit cards and/or purchase cards for their own personal use! If they can't afford to buy the items themselves with their finances or financing, then that's too bad. Who do they think they are and why do they think the government should foot the bills for their personal purchases? It's those type of employees who give other government employees a bad name. This issue involves ethics, trust, honesty, and fairness and I can't understand why all federal employees don't view violations such as intentional, unauthorized personal purchases as a major problem. I hope the guilty employees are prosecuted to the full extent of the law, or at the very minimum, be fired from their jobs, not allowed to seek other government employment, and be required to pay back what they spent. If appeals are filed by these employees, third parties should uphold management's decisions.
Oversight?
DoD
Fri Apr 11, 2008 9:52 AM
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Government credit card holders "report" to a billing official. This official is responsible and LIABLE for unauthorized card usage. If a card holder can make unauthorized purchases for 4 years without detection (not to mention the other questionable purchases), the billing official is not doing their job. I oversee almost $2M and hundreds of individual purchases per month using the IMPAC card. I know what each expendature is, and what it was for. The "system" does have adequate checks and balances if the individual assigned does what is required. The agency program manager also assigns purchasing ability using codes. For example, if a card holder attempts to make a purchase at a liquor store, the coding should reject the purchase. While the rules are legion, they are quite clear as to what can and cannot be purchased. I see this as a failing of very few people, not agency policy. Excuses are like arm pits ... we all have them and they don't smell good!
Use of government c harge cards
Army
Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:19 AM
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The problem is definitely a problem with supervision. A certain of individual card holders will always be crooked, and another percentage will be on the edge of being illegal. But where is the supervision? Colluding? The NASA episode seems so. And where are the auditors? Incompetent? Also colluding? The idea that everyone in the chain of responsibility is crooked or incompetent is what's most disturbing.
And there's the attitude passed down from the top and permeating to the lower levels. A good many years ago material was stolen from my base over the course of several months. The culprits, from the organizer to the security guards involved, were fired. The local U.S. Attorney's office refused to prosecute anyone. The outright theft of "only" $100,000 worth of Army property just wasn't worth their time. With an attitude like that is it any wonder people feel free to work the system?
Charge Card Abuse
USDA Rural Development
Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:21 AM
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I just don't get it, how does this happen?
I work in Olympia, I went up to Seattle last week to speak at a conference. One day, in and out, government car, no meal, no travel, but I paid ten bucks to park in a parking garage. The paperwork I had to fill out to get my ten dollar reimbursement was, well significant. There is no 'petty cash' drawer so this method of disbursing funds has lots of people looking over each others shoulders. It's really inefficient but I guess that is what it takes to keep people from defrauding the government.
I hate to think that we have to accept that we are EITHER going to be hugely wasteful through inefficient accountabilty procedures OR that we have to accept that there will be fraud.
I've worked for the US government for over 35 years and I don't think I have never attemted to defraud the government. I am sure I am typical of many federal employees but unfortunately business as usual, or 'good news' is no news.
Credit Card Abuse
HHS
Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:21 AM
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I have made purchases for our office using a purchase credit card for many years. I have never purchased anything without the permission of my Regional Manager. There are many more honest employees than dishonest ones.
Charge Card Abuse
IRS
Fri Apr 11, 2008 10:25 AM
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While I cannot speak for other government employees, this entire mess makes me ill and hoping mad. Working for the nations tax collector is a challegening enough job made that much more difficult by stories such as this. Try assessing and collecting additional taxes from people when they see articles like this. Why don't you spend your time going after the people cheating the system instead of wasting my time and money is the general reply that we get from taxpayers. Now they will be telling us to police the federal employees that hired the escort or paid for their girlfriend's breast implant, and can you really blame them. Yes, you have to address this to keep public confidence in the system. To end, prosecute, make the guilty pay restitution or give it back to the agency (can you imagine the g/f's anger when she is told to pay up or we'll take them out), the fire the SOB's. End of problem, end of story.
Charge Card Abuse? Who Cares?
Internal Revenue Service
Fri Apr 11, 2008 11:15 AM
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Abuse of a Government issued charge card really comes in two basic flavors. The first, which primarily involves Travel Cards, only harms the Government, and then only indirectly, when the holder incurs charges that are not connected with, and/or related to, authorized travel. So long as the card issuer's monthly billing is paid timely, no one is harmed. The problem, of course, is that there is a directly correlation between abusive use and unpaid bills.
The second form of charge card abuse is that which involves the use of Purchase Cards that are centrally billed and paid by the agency disbursing office. This form of abuse, when it involves the diversion of supplies and services to personal, or third party, benefit/use, more appropriately falls under "misappropriation of funds." That is a felony, and it should be dealt with as such. Furthermore, the abusing card holder's Approving Official should be investigated for, at the very least, dereliction of duty.