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Whistleblower Rewards Program: Reporting Antitrust Crimes and Qualifying for Whistleblower Rewards

Antitrust Division Seal

The Antitrust Division encourages whistleblowers to report antitrust crimes and related offenses. Criminal antitrust offenses include price fixing, bid rigging, and market allocation. For more information about antitrust crimes see:

Whistleblower reports are an important part of the Antitrust Division’s efforts to investigate and prosecute companies and people who reach illegal agreements with their competitors and violate the criminal antitrust laws. The Antitrust Division relies on whistleblowers who provide original, detailed, and timely information to help identify criminal antitrust violations. To encourage whistleblowers and recognize their contributions to the Antitrust Division’s mission, in appropriate cases the Antitrust Division pays whistleblowers rewards.

Submit a Whistleblower Report by Email

Whistleblower Rewards

The Antitrust Division works with its law enforcement partners the United States Postal Inspection Service and the United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General to pay rewards to whistleblowers. Whistleblowers who voluntarily report original information about antitrust and related offenses that result in criminal fines or other recoveries of at least $1 million may be eligible to receive a whistleblower reward. Payment of whistleblower rewards is in the discretion of the Antitrust Division, but if a whistleblower is eligible for an award the presumptive award amount will be between 15 and 30% of the amount of the criminal fine or recovery. Whistleblower rewards are subject to the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Antitrust Division and its law enforcement partners.

How to Submit a Whistleblower Report

You can submit a whistleblower report yourself or through an attorney. The report must include your contact information or contact information for your attorney so that the Antitrust Division can follow up with you as needed.

Please submit your whistleblower report by email at antitrust.whistleblower@usdoj.gov.

Submit a Whistleblower Report by Email

Frequently Asked Questions

The Antitrust Division takes confidentiality seriously and will only disclose the identity or information of a whistleblower, complainant, or witness for law enforcement purposes.

Federal law protects employees who report criminal antitrust violations from retaliation by their employers.

More information on confidentiality and anti-retaliation protections is on the Confidentiality page.

You can find the Department of Justice Privacy Policy at DOJ Privacy Policy.

Criminal whistleblower protections may apply if you (1) know of an antitrust crime or a related crime; (2) did not plan or initiate the antitrust crime or related crime; and (3) report an antitrust crime or related crime or assist a federal government investigation.

The Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act of 2019 (CAARA) prohibits employers from retaliating against workers who report potential antitrust crimes or related crimes or assist a federal government investigation.

If you believe you have suffered retaliation at work because you reported a potential antitrust crime or a related crime or assisted with a federal government investigation of antitrust or related violations you may file a retaliation complaint with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). You can learn more about filing an antitrust whistleblower complaint with OSHA at www.whistleblowers.gov.

Individuals or companies who (a) believe they may have been involved in criminal antitrust violations and (b) cooperate with the Antitrust Division can avoid criminal conviction, fines, and prison sentences if they meet the conditions of the Division’s Leniency Program. More information about the Division’s Leniency Program is available on the Leniency Policy page.

In your own words, please help us understand the potential antitrust violation you are reporting. Information that may help us understand how the activity you are reporting harms competition include:

  •  The types of activities the companies, individuals, or organizations engaged in that potentially harm competition.
  • Examples of the activity you believe harms competition.
  • The companies, individuals, or organizations affected by the activity you are reporting.
  •  The ways you think competition may have been harmed.
  •  The ways businesses reacted to the activity you are reporting.
  •  The ways the activity you are reporting impact:
    •  Prices
    •  The availability of better products
    •  Customer choice

Any additional information that you think will help us understand your report.