From forging letters to shutting citizens out of events, polluters have shown they're willing to victimize innocent Americans to protect their record profits.

Today, the National Wildlife Federation has joined a coalition that includes the American Association of University Women, the NAACP, the Center for American Progress Action Fund, and the Sierra Club. We're launching a new Polluter Fraud Citizen Tip Line:

Citizens calling 866-363-4648 will have the option of reporting if they themselves were a victim of a forged letter or have knowledge of one; if they have knowledge of or witnessed an event staged by the American Petroleum Institute or oil and coal interests under the guise of being a true citizen-grassroots event; if they were coerced to attend such an event or denied access to one; if they are energy company employees or contractors and want to leave a tip about unethical or possible illegal activity or if they want to report other instances of fraud or deceptive tactics including misleading ads, mailing, or calls they may have received.

Staff from NWF, NAACP or Center for American Progress Action Fund will review all tips that come in and take appropriate follow-up action.

“The hotline we have launched will help people fight back against big polluters and their lobbyists," said the National Wildlife Federation's Adam Kolton. "We hope this investigation uncovers the full extent of the wrongdoing but we fear we may only have seen the tip of the iceberg."

Photo via Flickr's Donncha