Department of Transportation (DOT) employees are abusing their government travel cards, according to a new report from the agency’s Inspector General. The report suggests that DOT officials missed $183,000 in unallowable cash advances and $2.1 million in unauthorized purchases on government travel cards.

The report details numerous examples of abuse such as:

• A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) cardholder traveled to Houston, Texas, for 3 days and withdrew a $301 cash advance on the last day of the trip at an automated teller machine located 40 miles from his residence.
• Between October 2011 and June 2012, an FAA cardholder collected seven cash advances totaling $719 while not on Government travel. On one occasion, this employee obtained a $104 cash advance on a race day at an Alabama Superspeedway…
• Between February and August 2012, another FAA cardholder collected five cash advances totaling over $1,400 while not on Government travel…
• An FAA employee who was not on Government travel visited a casino in Shawnee, OK, and collected three cash advances totaling $492 from his Government-issued travel card.
• A former OIG employee collected two cash advances totaling $488, more than 2 years after separating from the Agency. DOT’s Financial Management Travel Card Management Policy requires that travel card accounts be closed when an employee leaves the department.

DOT is not the only agency with this issue. Last year, the Treasury Department announced misuse of cards within the Internal Revenue Service. Treasury found “more than 1,000” employees who abused their travel cards in fiscal year 2010 and 2011.

These types of employee ripoffs are not limited to travel cards. A 2008 report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) found 41 percent of transactions on government purchasing cards violated “basic internal control standards.” Agencies were unable to provide appropriate documentation for 48 percent of large purchases that GAO studied. GAO found: “the Department of the Army could not adequately account for 256 items … each of which cost nearly $100,000.” One employee was able to withdraw $642,000 from her purchasing card over six years before being caught and sent to prison.

Purchasing and travel cards can be efficient in reducing overhead and streamlining processes, but agencies should ensure that proper audit controls are met so that more taxpayer funding is not wasted. Our bloated federal government purchases about $570 billion worth of supplies and equipment each year, so reform in this area is essential.