Mass. launches workplace fraud tip site, hotline

BOSTON – Gov. Deval L. Patrick’s administration announced last month the creation of a new hotline and Web site to allow for the reporting of workplace fraud activity.
The Mass. Department of Labor’s new toll-free hotline, 1-877-96-LABOR, and Web site, www.mass.gov/dol/labortaskforce, can be used to report abuses including: misclassifying employees; operating separate business entities in order to avoid unemployment insurance premiums; failing to maintain a workers’ compensation policy; paying employees in cash; or engaging in other “off-the-books” schemes to conceal their activities.
The announcement follows Patrick’s signing in March of an executive order which established the Mass. Joint Task Force on the Underground Economy, chaired by Director of Labor George E. Noel.
The Underground Economy Task Force, comprised of more than 12 agencies, share investigative information in an effort to increase enforcement against employers who commit fraud. •