Survey Fraud: Lessons Learned and Prevention Strategies
ABSTRACT
Background:
To assess impact of COVID-19 on cancer survivors, we fielded a survey promoted via email and social media in winter 2020. Examination of data showed suspicious patterns that warranted serious review.
Objective:
This paper reviews methods used to prevent and identify fraudulent responses.
Methods:
As precautions, we included CAPTCHA, a hidden question, and instructions for respondents to type a specific word. To identify likely fraudulent data, we defined a priori indicators that warranted elimination or suspicion. If a survey had two or more suspicious indicators, the survey was eliminated. We examined differences between retained and eliminated data sets.
Results:
Of total responses (n=1,977), nearly three-fourths (n=1,408) were dropped and a quarter retained (n=569) after data quality checking. Comparisons of the two data sets showed statistically significant differences across almost all demographic characteristics.
Conclusions:
Numerous precautions beyond CAPTCHA are needed when fielding online surveys, particularly if a financial incentive is offered. Clinical Trial: N/A
Citation
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Copyright
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