The Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Office of the Whistleblower is responsible for administering the CFTC’s Whistleblower Program, which was established by the Dodd-Frank Act.

In addition to offering protection to whistleblowers, such as confidentiality, they are also critical in CFTC’s enforcement efforts, providing incentives for individuals who report violations of the Commodities Exchange Act (CEA).

In essence, the CFTC’s Whistleblower Program aims to enhance market integrity by encouraging individuals to report wrongdoing, thereby assisting the CFTC in detecting and prosecuting violations of the CEA.

Formed
2010

Headquarters
Washington, DC

Website
https://www.whistleblower.gov/

Current Director
Brian Young, Director of Enforcement

Performance
Since its first award in 2014, CFTC has awarded approximately $390 million to whistleblowers. Enforcement actions associated with those awards have resulted in monetary relief totaling more than $3.2 billion.

CFTC Office of the Whistleblower serves as a vital channel for receiving information about potential market misconduct, and it incentivizes and protects those who come forward to report it. They are tasked with the following:

• Receiving and Processing Tips: The office handles tips, complaints, and referrals (Form TCR) from individuals who have information about potential violations.
• Awarding Incentives: It manages the process of awarding monetary incentives to eligible whistleblowers whose information leads to successful enforcement actions that result in monetary sanctions exceeding $1,000,000.
• Providing Protections: It ensures that whistleblowers’ confidentiality is maintained and that they are protected from retaliation by employers.
• Issuing Alerts: The office publishes whistleblower alerts to inform the public about emerging fraud trends and areas of focus for the CFTC.

Whistleblowers who have identified a potential violation of the Commodities Exchange Act and have read the rules on confidentiality and anti-retaliation can submit a tip to the CFTC Office of the Whistleblower by filling out Form TCR (Tip, Complaint, or Referral) online or via mail or fax, which can be found here:

Fax
(202) 418-5975

Mail
Commodity Futures Trading Commission
Whistleblower Office
1155 21st Street, NW
Washington, DC 20581

After submitting a tip, complaint, or referral (Form TCR), wait for the Whistleblower Office to post a Notice of Covered Action.

When the Commission obtains a judicial or administrative order that—by itself or together with judgments or orders in related Commission enforcement actions—imposes monetary sanctions exceeding $1,000,000, then the order becomes a covered judicial or administrative action upon which the Commission may pay out whistleblower awards.

The Whistleblower Office will then post a Notice of Covered Action, and whistleblowers may begin applying for awards. Whistleblowers may also be eligible for awards based on Related Actions brought by certain other entities if there is also a successful CFTC action.