The Command Center launched a hotline for callers to report fraudulent construction activity

Any information about fraud-related activities associated with construction projects in Lower Manhattan can now be reported by calling a hotline launched today by the Lower Manhattan Construction Command Center (LMCCC). Callers can choose to remain anonymous, and their reports will be kept confidential. The number, 1-877-FRAUDLESS (877-372-8353), is available 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

Examples of potential fraudulent activity include theft, safety hazards, security breaches, bribes or kickbacks, alcohol or drug abuse, prevailing wage violations, or any other unethical or illegal conduct by or on behalf of any agency employee, public official, contractor employee, agent, subcontractor, vendor, or labor official. Gov. George Pataki and Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in their joint executive order establishing the Command Center, identified fraud prevention as a top priority for the agency.

"Illegal and inappropriate activities on construction projects could seriously impact schedules and costs. As such, we are committed to being proactive and doing whatever possible to prevent fraudulent activity from occurring in the first place," LMCCC Executive Director Charles Maikish said in a statement.

National Hotline Services, sub-contracted by SafirRosetti, LLC, will receive the complaints and transmit them to the LMCCC fraud prevention director. The Command Center will review the information and refer it to the appropriate agency or Inspector General's office. The LMCCC chairs a group of Inspector Generals known as the Lower Manhattan Construction Integrity Team (LMCIT), which oversees the city, state, and federal agencies that perform work in Lower Manhattan or issue funds for those projects.

The New York City Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications (DoITT) will also have their 311 system operators forward fraud-related calls regarding construction work in Lower Manhattan to the hotline.