Would you expose the illegal activities of your company?

Question

Let's say you work for a very large company, like a major bank or something, and you discover that they're engaging in illegal activity. Would you rat them out? What would be the consequences of ratting them out? What are the consequences of not saying anything?

Answer 1

knowing something illegal and hiding it makes u a partner in it. in this situation, u should ask yourself, does it really matter if this company is a company u work for or not? their activities are anyway illegal. i think i would report in this case.

Answer 2

One consequence of sqealing on them is that there could be a domino effect. Once state and/or federal auditors start going through their records in-depth, you might be surprised at the outcome. One possibility is that you could find yourself in the unemployment line or working at some job entirely new to you.

Unless the illegal activity falls within the scope of your job description, I wouldn't worry about it. On the other hand, if you have a legal obligation to divulge the information, do it and don't look back, even though you may have to pay a hard price later on. In other words, don't risk jail time for anybody.

Answer 3

I wouldn't RAT them out. I would however become a paid informant. Why not profit from someone else greed.  

Answer 4

No, it might be connected high up in the chain of the company and you may get fired.

Answer 5

Whether I said anything would largely depend on the nature of the illegal activity. For example, if it was a matter of not dotting the 'i's or crossing the 't's on various compliance materials, I probably wouldn't say anything. Likewise if it was minor violations of labor laws.

On the other hand, if the company was involved with activities such as embezzling, money laundering, bribery, or worse, I might find it difficult to keep my mouth shut. I would also have difficulty remaining silent if there were unsafe working conditions and the company failed to do anything about them, or if they were violating my rights as an employee.

Should you tell the authorities (police, labor board, OSHA, or other regulatory agency), you are protected by whistle blower laws. These laws should protect you from any form of reprisal, but enforcing them may require expensive litigation.