SFS Attachments with Table of Contents

Supporting Statement Attachments – 2017 National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
Supplemental Fraud Survey (SFS)

Attachment 1: BJS authorizing statute: Title 42, United States Code, Section 3732…………………..2
Attachment 2: 2017 NCVS SFS survey instrument……………………………………………………………………..7
Attachment 3: NCVS-572(L) Census initial contact letter………………….……………………………….……..51
Attachment 4: NCVS-573(L) Census follow-up interview letter………………………………………….…….54
Attachment 5: Round 1 Crowdsource Cognitive Testing Protocol……………………………………….……57
Attachment 6: Round 1 Crowdsource Pretesting Findings……………………………………………………….72
Attachment 7: Round 2 Crowdsource Cognitive Testing Protocol…………………………………………….83
Attachment 8: Round 2 Crowdsource Pretesting Findings……………………………………………………..101
Attachment 9: Round 3 Crowdsource Cognitive Testing Protocol……………………………………….….115
Attachment 10: Round 3 Crowdsource Pretesting Findings…………………………………………..……….130
Attachment 11: Version 3 Protocol………………………………………………………………………………………..136
Attachment 12: Version 4 Protocol………………………………………………………………………………………..199
Attachment 13: Cognitive Interview Report…………………………………………………………………………..259

Attachment 1:
BJS authorizing statute: Title 42, United States Code, Section 3732

-CITE42 USC Sec. 3732

01/26/98

-EXPCITETITLE 42 - THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE
CHAPTER 46 - JUSTICE SYSTEM IMPROVEMENT
SUBCHAPTER III - BUREAU OF JUSTICE STATISTICS
-HEADSec. 3732. Bureau of Justice Statistics
-STATUTE(a) Establishment
There is established within the Department of Justice, under the general authority of the Attorney General, a
Bureau of Justice Statistics (hereinafter referred to in this subchapter as ''Bureau'').
(b) Appointment of Director; experience; authority; restrictions
The Bureau shall be headed by a Director appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the
Senate. The Director shall have had experience in statistical programs. The Director shall have final authority for all
grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts awarded by the Bureau. The Director shall report to the Attorney
General through the Assistant Attorney General. The Director shall not engage in any other employment than that of
serving as Director; nor shall the Director hold any office in, or act in any capacity for, any organization, agency, or
institution with which the Bureau makes any contract or other arrangement under this Act.
(c) Duties and functions of Bureau
The Bureau is authorized to (1) make grants to, or enter into cooperative agreements or contracts with public agencies, institutions of higher
education, private organizations, or private individuals for purposes related to this subchapter; grants shall be made
subject to continuing compliance with standards for gathering justice statistics set forth in rules and regulations
promulgated by the Director;
(2) collect and analyze information concerning criminal victimization, including crimes against the elderly, and
civil disputes;
(3) collect and analyze data that will serve as a continuous and comparable national social indication of the
prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution, and attributes of crime, juvenile delinquency, civil disputes, and
other statistical factors related to crime, civil disputes, and juvenile delinquency, in support of national, State, and
local justice policy and decisionmaking;
(4) collect and analyze statistical information, concerning the operations of the criminal justice system at the
Federal, State, and local levels;
(5) collect and analyze statistical information concerning the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution,
and attributes of crime, and juvenile delinquency, at the Federal, State, and local levels;
(6) analyze the correlates of crime, civil disputes and juvenile delinquency, by the use of statistical information,

about criminal and civil justice systems at the Federal, State, and local levels, and about the extent, distribution and
attributes of crime, and juvenile delinquency, in the Nation and at the Federal, State, and local levels;
(7) compile, collate, analyze, publish, and disseminate uniform national statistics concerning all aspects of
criminal justice and related aspects of civil justice, crime, including crimes against the elderly, juvenile delinquency,
criminal offenders, juvenile delinquents, and civil disputes in the various States;
(8) recommend national standards for justice statistics and for insuring the reliability and validity of justice
statistics supplied pursuant to this chapter;
(9) maintain liaison with the judicial branches of the Federal and State Governments in matters relating to
justice statistics, and cooperate with the judicial branch in assuring as much uniformity as feasible in statistical
systems of the executive and judicial branches;
(10) provide information to the President, the Congress, the judiciary, State and local governments, and the
general public on justice statistics;
(11) establish or assist in the establishment of a system to provide State and local governments with access to
Federal informational resources useful in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of programs under this Act;
(12) conduct or support research relating to methods of gathering or analyzing justice statistics;
(13) provide for the development of justice information systems programs and assistance to the States and units
of local government relating to collection, analysis, or dissemination of justice statistics;
(14) develop and maintain a data processing capability to support the collection, aggregation, analysis and
dissemination of information on the incidence of crime and the operation of the criminal justice system;
(15) collect, analyze and disseminate comprehensive Federal justice transaction statistics (including statistics
on issues of Federal justice interest such as public fraud and high technology crime) and to provide technical
assistance to and work jointly with other Federal agencies to improve the availability and quality of Federal justice
data;
(16) provide for the collection, compilation, analysis, publication and dissemination of information and
statistics about the prevalence, incidence, rates, extent, distribution and attributes of drug offenses, drug related
offenses and drug dependent offenders and further provide for the establishment of a national clearinghouse to
maintain and update a comprehensive and timely data base on all criminal justice aspects of the drug crisis and to
disseminate such information;
(17) provide for the collection, analysis, dissemination and publication of statistics on the condition and
progress of drug control activities at the Federal, State and local levels with particular attention to programs and
intervention efforts demonstrated to be of value in the overall national anti-drug strategy and to provide for the
establishment of a national clearinghouse for the gathering of data generated by Federal, State, and local criminal
justice agencies on their drug enforcement activities;
(18) provide for the development and enhancement of State and local criminal justice information systems, and
the standardization of data reporting relating to the collection, analysis or dissemination of data and statistics about
drug offenses, drug related offenses, or drug dependent offenders;
(19) provide for research and improvements in the accuracy, completeness, and inclusiveness of criminal
history record information, information systems, arrest warrant, and stolen vehicle record information and
information systems and support research concerning the accuracy, completeness, and inclusiveness of other
criminal justice record information;
(20) maintain liaison with State and local governments and governments of other nations concerning justice
statistics;

(21) cooperate in and participate with national and international organizations in the development of uniform
justice statistics;
(22) ensure conformance with security and privacy requirement of section 3789g of this title and identify,
analyze, and participate in the development and implementation of privacy, security and information policies which
impact on Federal and State criminal justice operations and related statistical activities; and
(23) exercise the powers and functions set out in subchapter
VIII of this chapter.
(d) Justice statistical collection, analysis, and dissemination to insure that all justice statistical collection, analysis,
and dissemination is carried out in a coordinated manner, the Director is authorized to (1) utilize, with their consent, the services, equipment, records, personnel, information, and facilities of other
Federal, State, local, and private agencies and instrumentalities with or without reimbursement therefor, and to enter
into agreements with such agencies and instrumentalities for purposes of data collection and analysis;
(2) confer and cooperate with State, municipal, and other local agencies;
(3) request such information, data, and reports from any Federal agency as may be required to carry out the
purposes of this chapter;
(4) seek the cooperation of the judicial branch of the Federal Government in gathering data from criminal
justice records; and
(5) encourage replication, coordination and sharing among justice agencies regarding information systems,
information policy, and data.
(e) Furnishing of information, data, or reports by Federal agencies Federal agencies requested to furnish
information, data, or reports pursuant to subsection (d)(3) of this section shall provide such information to the
Bureau as is required to carry out the purposes of this section.
(f) Consultation with representatives of State and local government and judiciary In recommending standards for
gathering justice statistics under this section, the Director shall consult with representatives of State and local
government, including, where appropriate, representatives of the judiciary.
-SOURCE(Pub. L. 90-351, title I, Sec. 302, as added Pub. L. 96-157, Sec. 2, Dec. 27, 1979, 93 Stat. 1176; amended Pub. L.
98-473, title II, Sec. 605(b), Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2079; Pub. L. 100-690, title VI, Sec. 6092(a), Nov. 18, 1988,
102 Stat. 4339; Pub. L. 103-322, title XXXIII, Sec. 330001(h)(2), Sept. 13, 1994, 108 Stat. 2139.)
-REFTEXTREFERENCES IN TEXT
This Act, referred to in subsecs. (b) and (c)(11), is Pub. L. 90-351, June 19, 1968, 82 Stat. 197, as amended,
known as the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. For complete classification of this Act to the
Code, see Short Title note set out under section 3711 of this title and Tables.
-MISC2PRIOR PROVISIONS

A prior section 3732, Pub. L. 90-351, title I, Sec. 302, June 19, 1968, 82 Stat. 200; Pub. L. 93-83, Sec. 2, Aug. 6,
1973, 87 Stat. 201; Pub. L. 94-503, title I, Sec. 110, Oct. 15, 1976, 90 Stat. 2412, related to establishment of State
planning agencies to develop comprehensive State plans for grants for law enforcement and criminal justice
purposes, prior to the general amendment of this chapter by Pub. L. 96-157.
AMENDMENTS
1994 - Subsec. (c)(19). Pub. L. 103-322 substituted a semicolon for period at end.
1988 - Subsec. (c)(16) to (23). Pub. L. 100-690 added pars. (16) to (19) and redesignated former pars. (16) to
(19) as (20) to (23), respectively.
1984 - Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98-473, Sec. 605(b)(1), inserted provision requiring Director to report to Attorney
General through Assistant Attorney General.
Subsec. (c)(13). Pub. L. 98-473, Sec. 605(b)(2)(A), (C), added par. (13) and struck out former par. (13) relating
to provision of financial and technical assistance to States and units of local government relating to collection,
analysis, or dissemination of justice statistics.
Subsec. (c)(14), (15). Pub. L. 98-473, Sec. 605(b)(2)(C), added pars. (14) and (15). Former pars. (14) and (15)
redesignated (16) and (17), respectively.
Subsec. (c)(16). Pub. L. 98-473, Sec. 605(b)(2)(A), (B), redesignated par. (14) as (16) and struck out former par.
(16) relating to insuring conformance with security and privacy regulations issued under section 3789g of this title.
Subsec. (c)(17). Pub. L. 98-473, Sec. 605(b)(2)(B), redesignated par. (15) as (17). Former par. (17) redesignated
(19).
Subsec. (c)(18). Pub. L. 98-473, Sec. 605(b)(2)(D), added par. (18).
Subsec. (c)(19). Pub. L. 98-473, Sec. 605(b)(2)(B), redesignated former par. (17) as (19).
Subsec. (d)(1). Pub. L. 98-473, Sec. 605(b)(3)(A), inserted '', and to enter into agreements with such agencies
and instrumentalities for purposes of data collection and analysis''.
Subsec. (d)(5). Pub. L. 98-473, Sec. 605(b)(3)(B)-(D), added par. (5).
EFFECTIVE DATE OF 1984 AMENDMENT
Amendment by Pub. L. 98-473 effective Oct. 12, 1984, see section 609AA(a) of Pub. L. 98-473, set out as an
Effective Date note under section 3711 of this title.
-SECREFSECTION REFERRED TO IN OTHER SECTIONS
This section is referred to in section 5603 of this title.

Attachment 2:
2017 NCVS SFS survey instrument

Draft 06/14/2017

National Crime Victimization Survey
Supplemental Fraud Survey (SFS)
INTRO INTRO_1
From time to time, the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice collects information
on special topics. We are now going to ask you about experiences in which someone convinced you to
pay, invest, or donate money, by tricking or lying to you, hiding information, or promising you something
that you never received. We estimate these questions will take between 5 to 15 minutes depending on
your circumstances. The U.S. Census Bureau is required by law to keep your information confidential.
Prize or grant fraud – screener
S1. PRIZE
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE 1st OF MONTH 1 YEAR PRIOR], did you pay money
to receive a prize, grant, inheritance, lottery winning, or sum of money that you were told was yours?
This can include:
• Money
• Trips
• Jewelry
• Televisions
• Electronics
• Other prizes
1=YES (ask S1a)
2=NO (skip to S2)
S1a. PRIZE_TIMES
How many times did this happen in the past 12 months?
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
___________
(If 1, ask S1b)
(If >1, skip to S1c)
S1b. PRIZE_RECEIVED
Did you get all of the money or prizes you were promised?
1=YES
2=NO
(skip to S2)
S1c. PRIZE_RECEIVED_NUM
For how many of these INCIDENTS did you get all of the money or prizes you were promised?
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
___________
(ask S2)
HARD EDIT CHECK PRIZE_RECEIVED_CK; If S1c>S1a
The number of incidents mentioned where the respondent received all the money or prizes promised, is
greater than the number of incidents reported.
1

Draft 06/14/2017
Phantom debt collection fraud – screener
S2. DEBT
[IF S1=1: Not including the time(s) you already told me about] In the past 12 months, that is, since
[AUTOFILL DATE 1st OF MONTH 1 YEAR PRIOR], did you pay money to settle or pay off a debt, but you
found out you were being tricked or lied to and the debt was not real or not yours?
1=YES (skip to S2a)
2=NO (skip to S3)
S2a. DEBT_TIMES
How many times did this happen in the past 12 months?
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
____________
(ask S3)

Charity fraud – screener
S3. CHARITY
[IF S1=1 or S2=1: Not including the time(s) you already told me about] In the past 12 months, that is,
since [AUTOFILL DATE 1st OF MONTH 1 YEAR PRIOR], have you donated money to a charity or a
charitable cause that later turned out to be fake or that you later suspected was fake?
If respondents ask if they should exclude experiences giving money to panhandlers on the street, ask the
respondent to think about whether that experience turned out to be fake or that they later suspected
was fake. If yes, include that experience.
1=YES (ask S3a)
2=NO (skip to S4)
S3a. CHARITY_TIMES
How many times did this happen in the past 12 months?
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
____________
(ask S4)

2

Draft 06/14/2017
Employment fraud – screener
S4. JOB_FRAUD
[IF S1=1 or S2=1 or S3=1: Not including the time(s) you already told me about] In the past 12 months,
that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE 1st OF MONTH 1 YEAR PRIOR], have you paid money to get a job or get
into a business opportunity but were tricked or lied to about how the money would be used or what you
would receive in return?
1=YES (ask S4a)
2=NO (skip to S5)
S4a. JOB_FRAUD_TIMES
How many times did this happen in the past 12 months?
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
____________
(If 1, ask S4b)
(If >1, ask S4b1)
S4b. JOB_FRAUD_ALLMONEYBACK
Did you get all of your money back from the person or company WITHOUT filing a claim or taking legal
action?
If respondent says “Not yet” or “Some”, mark “No”, did not get all their money back.
1=YES (Skip to S5)
2=NO (Skip to S4c)
S4b1. JOB_FRAUD_ALLMONEYBACK_NUM
For how many of these incidents did you get all of your money back from the person or company
WITHOUT filing a claim or taking legal action?
If the respondent says “Not yet” or “Some” for one or more incidents, do not count that incident in this
question.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
____________
(If S4a-S4b1=1, ask S4c)
(If S4a-S4b1>1, skip to S4c1)
(Else, skip to S5)
HARD EDIT CHECK JOB_FRAUD_ALLMONEYBACK_CK; If S4b1>S4a,
The number of incidents where the respondent got all of their money back without filing a claim or
taking legal action is greater than the number of incidents reported.
S4c. JOB_FRAUD_TRY
For that incident in which you did not get all your money back, did you try to get it back?
1=YES (ask S4d)
2=NO (skip to S5)
S4c1. JOB_FRAUD_TRYMULT
For those incidents in which you did not get all your money back, did you try to get it back?
1=YES (ask S4c2)
3

Draft 06/14/2017
2=NO (skip to S5)
S4c2. JOB_FRAUD_TRY_NUM
For how many?
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
_____________
(If 1, ask S4d)
(If >1, skip to S4d1)
HARD EDIT CHECK JOB_FRAUD_TRY_CK; If S4c2>S4a-S4b1
The number of incidents where the respondent tried to get their money back is greater than the number
of incidents possible.
S4d. JOB_FRAUD_CHANCE
Do you think there is a chance that the person or company might still give you all of your money back?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
(skip to S5)
S4d1. JOB_FRAUD_CHANCEMULT Do you think there is a chance that the person or company might still
give you all of your money back for any incidents?
1=YES (ask S4d2)
2=NO (skip to S5)
3=DON’T KNOW (skip to S5)
S4d2. JOB_FRAUD_CHANCE_NUM
For how many?
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
_____________
(ask S5)
HARD EDIT CHECK JOB_FRAUD_CHANCE_CK; If S4d2>S4a
The number of incidents in which the respondent thinks there is a chance that the person or company
might still give all their money back is greater than the number of incidents possible.

4

Draft 06/14/2017
Consumer investment fraud – screener
S5. INVESTMENT
[If S1=1 or S2=1 or S3=1 or S4=1: Not including the time(s) you already told me about] In the past 12
months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE 1st OF MONTH 1 YEAR PRIOR], have you invested money with a
person or company that tricked you or lied to you about what you would receive, such as promising a
guaranteed return on your investment or that you would not lose any money?
1=YES (ask S5a)
2=NO (skip to S6)
S5a. INVEST_TIMES
How many times did this happen in the past 12 months?
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
_____________
(If 1, ask S5b)
(If >1, skip to S5b1)
S5b. INVEST_EXPECT
Excluding monetary gains, were you expecting to receive a product or service in return for your
investment?
If respondent was supposed to invest money and received only money in return, mark “No.”
1=YES (skip to S6z)
2=NO (skip to S5c1)
S5b1. INVEST_EXPECT_NUM
Excluding monetary gains, for how many of these incidents were you expecting to receive a product or
service in return for your investment?
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
______________
(If S5b1=0, ask S5cx)
(If S5b1>0 and S5a>S5b1, ask S5c2)
(If S5a=S5b1, ask S6z)
HARD EDIT CHECK INVEST_EXPECT_CK; if S5b1>S5a
The number of incidents where the respondent expected to receive a product or service in return for
their investment is greater than the number of incidents reported.
S5c1. INVEST_MADEUP
Do you believe that the investment opportunity was MADE UP or that your money was NEVER invested
at all?
1=YES
2=NO
(skip to S6)

5

Draft 06/14/2017

S5cx. INVEST_MADEUP_NUM
For how many of these incidents do you believe that the investment opportunity was MADE UP or that
your money was NEVER invested at all?
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
_____________
(skip to S6)
HARD EDIT CHECK INVEST_MADEUP_CK; if S5cx>S5a
The number of incidents where the respondent believed the investment opportunity was MADE UP or
that their money was NEVER invested is greater than the number of incidents reported.
S5c2. INVEST_MADEUP_NO_PS
For now, thinking only about the investment scams that were supposed to provide you with a monetary
gain, for how many of these incidents do you believe that the investment opportunity was MADE UP or
that your money was NEVER invested at all?
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
_____________
(skip to S6)
HARD EDIT CHECK INVEST_MADEUP_NO_PS_CK; if S5c2>S5a-S5b1
The number of incidents where the respondent believed the investment opportunity was MADE UP or
that their money was NEVER invested is greater than the number of incidents possible.

6

Draft 06/14/2017
Consumer products or services fraud (excluding unauthorized billing) – screener
ASK IF If S5a=S5b1 or S5b=1 or S5c2=entry (INVEST_TIMES=INVEST_EXPECT_NUM or INVEST_EXPECT=1
or INVEST_MADEUP_NO_PS=entry)
S6z. PRODUCT_SERVICE_A
[If S5c2=entry: Thinking about the time(s) you were expecting to receive a product or service in return
for your investment,] Would you say you paid for products or services that you NEVER received or that
turned out to be a SCAM?
1=YES (ask S6a)
2=NO (skip to S7)
FOR ALL OTHER RESPONDENTS
S6. PRODUCT_SERVICE_B
[IF S1=1 or S2=1 or S3=1 or S4=1 or S5=1: Not including the time(s) you already told me about] In the
past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE 1st OF MONTH 1 YEAR PRIOR], have you paid for any
products or services that you NEVER received or that turned out to be a SCAM?
1=YES (skip to S6a)
2=NO (skip to S7)
S6a. PROD_SERV_TIMES
How many times did this happen in the past 12 months?
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
_____________
(If 1, ask S6b)
(If >1, skip to S6b1)
S6b. PROD_SERV_ALLMONEYBACK
Did you get all of your money back from the person or company WITHOUT filing a claim or taking legal
action?
If respondent says “Not yet” or “Some”, mark “No”, did not get all their money back.
1=YES (skip to S7)
2=NO (skip to S6c)
S6b1. PROD_SERV_ALLMONEYBACK_NUM
For how many of these incidents did you get all of your money back from the person or company
WITHOUT filing a claim or taking legal action?
If the respondent says “Not yet” or “Some” for one or more incidents, do not count that incident in this
question.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
____________
(If S6a-S6b1=1, ask S6c)
(If S6a-S6b1>1, skip to S6c1)
(Else, skip to S7)
HARD EDIT CHECK PROD_SERV_ALLMONEYBACK_CK, If S6b1>S6a
The number of incidents where the respondent got all their money back from the person or company
without filing a claim or taking legal action is greater than the number of incidents reported.
7

Draft 06/14/2017

S6c. PROD_SERV_TRY
For that incident in which you did not get all your money back, did you try to get it back?
1=YES (skip to S6D)
2=NO (skip to S7)
S6c1. PROD_SERV_TRYMULT
For those incidents in which you did not get all your money back, did you try to get it back?
1=YES (ask S6c2)
2=NO (skip to S7)
S6c2. PROD_SERV_TRY_NUM
For how many?
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
_____________
(If 1, ask S6d)
(Else, skip to S6d1)
HARD EDIT CHECK PROD_SERV_TRY_CK; If S6c2>S6a-S6b1
The number of incidents where the respondent tried to get their money back is greater than the number
of incidents possible.
S6d. PROD_SERV_CHANCE
Do you think there is a chance that the person or company might still give you all of your money back?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
(skip to S7)
S6d1. PROD_SERV_CHANCEMULT
Do you think there is a chance that the person or company might still give you all of your money back for
any incidents?
1=YES (ask S6d2)
2=NO (skip to S7)
3=DON’T KNOW (skip to S7)
S6d2. PROD_SERV_CHANCE_NUM
For how many?
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
_____________
(ask S7)
HARD EDIT CHECK PROD_SERV_CHANCE_CK; If S6d2>S6a
The number of incidents in which the respondent thinks there is a chance that the person or company
might still give all their money back is greater than the number of incidents possible.
8

Draft 06/14/2017
Relationship/trust fraud – screener
S7. TRUST
[IF S1=1 or S2=1 or S3=1 or S4=1 or S5=1 or S6=1: Not including the time(s) you already told me about]
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE 1st OF MONTH 1 YEAR PRIOR], have you donated,
sent, or otherwise given money to someone who PRETENDED to be a family member, friend, caregiver,
or someone interested in you romantically, but that person was not who they claimed to be?
1=YES (ask S7a)
2=NO (SKIP TO INCIDENT FORM IF RESPONDENT SCREENED IN AS A FRAUD VICTIM; ALL ELSE END
SURVEY)
S7a. TRUST_TIMES
How many times did this happen in the past 12 months?
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
_____________
(GO TO INCIDENT FORM IF RESPONDENT SCREENED IN AS A FRAUD VICTIM; ALL ELSE END SURVEY.)

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Draft 06/14/2017
Prize or grant fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A PRIZE OR GRANT FRAUD VICTIM
BY REPORTING –
•

S1b=2 or S1a>S1c (PRIZE_RECEIVED=2 or PRIZE_TIMES>PRIZE_RECEIVED_NUM)
(NUMBER OF TIMES BEHAVIOR IS ENDORSED IS GREATER THAN NUMBER OF TIMES
RESPONDENT RECEIVED ALL OF THE MONEY THEY WERE PROMISED)

S1B1intro. PRIZE_INTRO
You indicated that you paid money to receive a prize, grant, inheritance, lottery winning, or sum of
money, but never got what you were promised. I would like to ask you a few additional questions
related to that experience. When answering these questions, please only think about 1, THE
MOST RECENT TIME you had> that experience.
S1B1. PRIZE_TYPE
Which ONE of the following BEST DESCRIBES the money or prize you were supposed to receive? Was it…
1=Winnings from a lottery?
2=Winnings from a sweepstakes, raffle, or promotion?
3=An unclaimed inheritance?
4=A grant or loan from the government?
5=A tax refund?
6=Or something else?
S1B1o. PRIZE_TYPE_SP
How would you best describe the money or prize you were supposed to receive?
________________________
S1B2. PRIZE_PAYFOR
Were you told that you would have to pay a deposit, taxes, or a fee in order to get the money or prize
you were supposed to receive?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B3. PRIZE_PAYTOTAL
How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company?
Round to the nearest dollar.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
$[___________]
S1B4. PRIZE_MONEYBACK
Did you get ANY of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal action?
1=YES
2=NO (skip to S1B6)

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S1B5. PRIZE_MONEYBACKTOTAL
How much money did you get back?
Round to the nearest dollar.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
$[___________]
HARD EDIT CHECK PRIZE_MONEYBACK_CK; If S1B5>S1B3
The amount of money the respondent got back is greater than or equal to the amount of money they
gave.
S1B6. PRIZE_REPORTED
Still thinking about the same incident, did you report the incident to a law enforcement agency, such as
the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement agency?
1=YES (skip to S1B8)
2=NO
S1B7. PRIZE_NOTREPORTED
Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement?
PROBE: Any other reason?
Enter all that apply.
DIDN’T KNOW
1=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
2=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH
4=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
5=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
DIDN’T THINK POLICE COULD HELP
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
9=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
PERSONAL REASONS
10=DIDN’T WANT TO HAVE ANY CONTACT WITH THE POLICE
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
13=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
OTHER
14=OTHER
S1B8. PRIZE_FAMILY
Did you tell or attempt to tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
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S1B8a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8b. PRIZE_LAWYER
A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8c. PRIZE_BANK
Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8d. PRIZE_CUSTSERVICE
Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8e. PRIZE_FTC
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8f. PRIZE_CFPB
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8g. PRIZE_BBB
Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8h. PRIZE_IC3
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8i. PRIZE_ATTORNEY
State Attorney General Office?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8j. PRIZE_ELSE
Someone else?
1=YES (ask S1B8jo)
2=NO (skip to S1B8k)
S1B8jo. PRIZE_ELSE_SP
Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
S1B8k. PRIZE_NOTREPORTEDAGENCY
[If S1B8e=NO and S1B8f=NO and S1B8g=NO and S1B8h=NO and S1B8i=NO]
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Why did you not report this incident to a consumer protection agency? Consumer protection agencies
include the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Better
Business Bureau (BBB), Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and State Attorneys General Office.
PROBE: Any other reason?
Enter all that apply.
DIDN’T KNOW
1=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
2=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH
4=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
5=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE ORGANIZATION/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
DIDN’T THINK THEY COULD HELP
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
9=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
PERSONAL REASONS
10=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
11=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
OTHER
13=OTHER

S1B9. PRIZE_DISTRESS
The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. These questions are about
how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
Still thinking about the same incident, how distressing was it? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing,
2=Mildly distressing,
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?
S1B10. PRIZE_IMPACTJOB
Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble with your
boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B11. PRIZE_IMPACTFAMILY

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Did this same incident lead you to have significant problems with family members or friends, including
getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you could trust them as much, or
not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B12. PRIZE_PAYBILLS
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or pay
your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
S1B13. PRIZE_VICTIM
Thinking about the same incident, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
S1B14. PRIZE_SUMMARY
In your own words, please briefly describe the same incident we have been talking about.

Phantom debt collection fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A PHANTOM DEBT COLLECTION
FRAUD VICTIM BY REPORTING –
•

S2=1 (DEBT=1) (ENDORSED BEHAVIOR)

S2B1intro. DEBT_INTRO
You indicated that you paid money to settle or pay off a debt but found out you were being tricked or
lied to. I would like to ask you a few additional questions related to that experience. When answering
these questions, please only think about 1, THE MOST RECENT TIME you had> that experience.

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S2B1. DEBT_TYPE
Which ONE of the following BEST DESCRIBES the type of debt you were told you owed? Was it debt due
to…
1=Unpaid taxes?
2=An unpaid loan?
3=An unpaid fine or ticket?
4=Credit card charges?
5=Health care or medical care services?
6=Or something else? (ask S2b1o)
S2B1o. DEBT_TYPE_SP
How would you describe the type of debt you were told you owed? ________________
S2B2. DEBT_PAYTOTAL
How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company?
Round to the nearest dollar.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
$[___________]
S2B3. DEBT_MONEYBACK
Did you get ANY of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal action?
1=YES
2=NO (skip to S2B5)
S2B4. DEBT_MONEYBACKTOTAL
How much money did you get back?
Round to the nearest dollar.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
$[___________]
HARD EDIT CHECK DEBT_MONEYBACK_CK; If S2B4>S2B2
The amount of money the respondent got back is greater than or equal to the amount of money they
gave.
S2B5. DEBT_REPORTED
Still thinking about the same incident, did you report the incident to a law enforcement agency, such as
the local police, a sheriff or a federal law enforcement agency?
1=YES (skip to S2B7)
2=NO
S2B6. DEBT_NOTREPORTED
Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement?
PROBE: Any other reason?
Enter all that apply.
DIDN’T KNOW
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1=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
2=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH
4=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
5=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
DIDN’T THINK POLICE COULD HELP
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
9=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
PERSONAL REASONS
10=DIDN’T WANT TO HAVE ANY CONTACT WITH THE POLICE
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
13=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
OTHER
14=OTHER
S2B7. DEBT_FAMILY
Did you tell or attempt to tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S2B7a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7b. DEBT_LAWYER
A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7c. DEBT_BANK
Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7d. DEBT_CUSTSERVICE
Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7e. DEBT_FTC
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7f. DEBT_CFPB
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
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2=NO
S2B7g. DEBT_BBB
Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7h. DEBT_IC3
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7i. DEBT_ATTORNEY
State Attorney General Office?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7j. DEBT_IRS
Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7k. DEBT_ELSE
Someone else?
1=YES (ask S2B7ko)
2=NO
S2B7ko. DEBT_ELSE_SP
Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
S2B7l. DEBT_NOTREPORTEDAGENCY
[If S2B7e=NO and S2B7f=NO and S2B7g=NO and S2B7h=NO and S2B7i=NO and S2B7j=NO]
Why did you not report this incident to a consumer protection agency? Consumer protection agencies
include the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Better
Business Bureau (BBB), Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), State Attorneys General Office, and the
Internal Revenue Service (IRS).
PROBE: Any other reason?
Enter all that apply.
DIDN’T KNOW
1=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
2=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH
4=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
5=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE ORGANIZATION/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
DIDN’T THINK THEY COULD HELP
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
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9=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
PERSONAL REASONS
10=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
11=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
OTHER
13=OTHER
S2B8. DEBT_DISTRESS
The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. These questions are about
how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
Still thinking about the same incident, how distressing was it? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing,
2=Mildly distressing,
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?
S2B9. DEBT_IMPACTJOB
Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble with your
boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B10. DEBT_IMPACTFAMILY
Did this same incident lead you to have significant problems with family members or friends, including
getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you could trust them as much, or
not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B11. DEBT_PAYBILLS
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or pay
your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
S2B12. DEBT_VICTIM
Thinking about the same incident, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW

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S2B13. DEBT_SUMMARY
In your own words, please briefly describe the same incident we have been talking about.

Charity fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A CHARITY FRAUD VICTIM BY
REPORTING –
•

S3=1 (CHARITY=1) (ENDORSED BEHAVIOR)

S3B1intro. CHARITY_INTRO
You indicated that you donated money to a charity or a charitable cause that later turned out to be fake
or you later suspected was fake. I would like to ask you a few additional questions related to that
experience. When answering these questions, please only think about 1, THE MOST RECENT
TIME you had> that experience.
S3B1. CHARITY_ORGANIZATION
Was the donation supposed to be going to an organization?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
S3B2. CHARITY_CROWDFUNDING
Did you make this donation through a crowdfunding website like GoFundMe or Kickstarter?
If further clarification is needed, read: Crowdfunding is the practice of collecting online contributions
from a large number of people to fund a project or cause.
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
S3B3. CHARITY_PAYTOTAL
How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company?
Round to the nearest dollar.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
$[____________]
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S3B4. CHARITY_MONEYBACK
Did you get ANY of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal action?
1=YES
2=NO (skip to S3B6)
S3B5. CHARITY_MONEYBACKTOTAL
How much money did you get back?
Round to the nearest dollar.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
$[___________]
HARD EDIT CHECK CHARITY_MONEYBACK_CK; If S3B5>S3B3
The amount of money the respondent got back is greater than or equal to the amount of money they
gave.
S3B6. CHARITY_REPORTED
Still thinking about the same incident, did you report the incident to a law enforcement agency, such as
the local police, a sheriff or a federal law enforcement agency?
1=YES (skip to S3B8)
2=NO
S3B7. CHARITY_NOTREPORTED
Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement?
PROBE: Any other reason?
Enter all that apply.
DIDN’T KNOW
1=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
2=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH
4=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
5=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
DIDN’T THINK POLICE COULD HELP
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
9=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
PERSONAL REASONS
10=DIDN’T WANT TO HAVE ANY CONTACT WITH THE POLICE
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
13=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
OTHER
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14=OTHER
S3B8. CHARITY_FAMILY
Did you tell or attempt to tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S3B8a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8b. CHARITY_LAWYER
A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8c. CHARITY_BANK
Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8d. CHARITY_CUSTSERVICE
Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8e. CHARITY_FTC
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8f. CHARITY_CFPB
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8g. CHARITY_BBB
Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8h. CHARITY_IC3
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8i. CHARITY_ATTORNEY
State Attorney General Office?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8j. CHARITY_ELSE
Someone else?
1=YES (ask S3B8jo)
2=NO
S3B8jo. CHARITY_ELSE_SP
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Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
S3B8k. CHARITY_NOTREPORTEDAGENCY
[If S3B8e=NO and S3B8f=NO and S3B8g=NO and S3B8h=NO and S3B8i=NO]
Why did you not report this incident to a consumer protection agency? Consumer protection agencies
include the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Better
Business Bureau (BBB), Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and State Attorneys General Office.
PROBE: Any other reason?
Enter all that apply.
DIDN’T KNOW
1=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
2=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH
4=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
5=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE ORGANIZATION/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
DIDN’T THINK THEY COULD HELP
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
9=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
PERSONAL REASONS
10=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
11=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
OTHER
13=OTHER
S3B9. CHARITY_DISTRESS
The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. These questions are about
how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
Still thinking about the same incident, how distressing was it? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing,
2=Mildly distressing,
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?
S3B10. CHARITY_IMPACTJOB
Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble with your
boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO

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S3B11. CHARITY_IMPACTFAMILY
Did this same incident lead you to have significant problems with family members or friends, including
getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you could trust them as much, or
not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B12. CHARITY_PAYBILLS
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or pay
your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
S3B13. CHARITY_VICTIM
Thinking about the same incident, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
S3B14. CHARITY_SUMMARY
In your own words, please briefly describe the same incident we have been talking about.

Employment fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS AN EMPLOYMENT FRAUD VICTIM
BY REPORTING –
•
•
•
•
•

S4c=2 (JOB_FRAUD_TRY=2) (DID NOT TRY TO GET MONEY BACK, SINGLE INC REPORTED) or
S4c1=2 (JOB_FRAUD_TRYMULT=2) (DID NOT TRY TO GET MONEY BACK, MULTIPLE INCS
REPORTED) or
S4d=2, 3 (JOB_FRAUD_CHANCE=2, 3) (NOT A CHANCE OR DON’T KNOW IF RESP WILL GET THEIR
MONEY BACK, SINGLE INC REPORTED) or
S4d1=2,3 (JOB_FRAUD_CHANCEMULT=2, 3) (NOT A CHANCE OR DON’T KNOW IF RESP WILL GET
THEIR MONEY BACK, MULTIPLE INCS REPORTED) or
S4c2>S4d2 (JOB_FRAUD_TRY_NUM>JOB_FRAUD_CHANCE_NUM) (NUMBER OF INCS WHERE
RESP THINKS THERE IS A CHANCE THEY WILL GET THEIR MONEY BACK IS LESS THAN THE
NUMBER OF INCS WHERE RESP TRIED TO GET IT MONEY BACK)
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S4B1intro. JOB_FRAUD_INTRO
You indicated that you paid money to get a job or get into a business opportunity but were tricked or
lied to about how the money would be used or what you would receive in return. I would like to ask you
a few additional questions related to that experience. When answering these questions, please only
think about

1, fill the MOST RECENT TIME you tried to get your money back and there is no chance or
you don’t know if there is a chance you will get it back.>
S4B1. JOB_FRAUD_OWNBUSINESS
Did the money you lost go to someone who…
Was supposed to be helping you start your own business?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B2. JOB_FRAUD_HOME
(Did the money you lost go to someone who…)
Promised to help you make money while you worked from home?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B3. JOB_FRAUD_GOV
(Did the money you lost go to someone who…)
Promised to help you get a government job?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B4. JOB_FRAUD_PAYTOTAL
How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company?
Round to the nearest dollar.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
$[___________]
S4B5. JOB_FRAUD_MONEYBACK
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Did you get ANY of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal action?
1=YES
2=NO (skip to S4B7)
S4B6. JOB_FRAUD_MONEYBACKTOTAL
How much money did you get back?
Round to the nearest dollar.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
$[___________]
HARD EDIT CHECK JOB_FRAUD_MONEYBACK_CK; If S4B6>S4B4
The amount of money the respondent got back is greater than or equal to the amount of money they
gave.
S4B7. JOB_FRAUD_REPORTED
Still thinking about the same incident, did you report the incident to a law enforcement agency, such as
the local police, a sheriff or a federal law enforcement agency?
1=YES (skip to S4B9)
2=NO
S4B8. JOB_FRAUD_NOTREPORTED
Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement?
PROBE: Any other reason?
Enter all that apply.
DIDN’T KNOW
1=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
2=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH
4=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
5=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
DIDN’T THINK POLICE COULD HELP
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
9=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
PERSONAL REASONS
10=DIDN’T WANT TO HAVE ANY CONTACT WITH THE POLICE
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
13=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
OTHER
14=OTHER
25

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S4B9. JOB_FRAUD_FAMILY
Did you tell or attempt to tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S4B9a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9b. JOB_FRAUD_LAWYER
A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9c. JOB_FRAUD_BANK
Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9d. JOB_FRAUD_CUSTSERVICE
Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9e. JOB_FRAUD_FTC
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9f. JOB_FRAUD_CFPB
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9g. JOB_FRAUD_BBB
Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9h. JOB_FRAUD_IC3
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9i. JOB_FRAUD_ATTORNEY
State Attorney General Office?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9j. JOB_FRAUD_ELSE
Someone else?
1=YES (ask S4B9jo)
2=NO
S4B9jo. JOB_FRAUD_ELSE_SP
Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
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S4B9k. JOB_FRAUD_NOTREPORTEDAGENCY
[If S4B9e=NO and S4B9f=NO and S4B9g=NO and S4B9h=NO and S4B9i=NO]
Why did you not report this incident to a consumer protection agency? Consumer protection agencies
include the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Better
Business Bureau (BBB), Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and State Attorneys General Office.
PROBE: Any other reason?
Enter all that apply.
DIDN’T KNOW
1=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
2=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH
4=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
5=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE ORGANIZATION/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
DIDN’T THINK THEY COULD HELP
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
9=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
PERSONAL REASONS
10=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
11=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
OTHER
13=OTHER
S4B10. JOB_FRAUD_DISTRESS The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different
ways. These questions are about how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
Still thinking about the same incident, how distressing was it? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing,
2=Mildly distressing,
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?
S4B11. JOB_FRAUD_IMPACTJOB
Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble with your
boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B12. JOB_FRAUD_IMPACTFAMILY

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Did this same incident lead you to have significant problems with family members or friends, including
getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you could trust them as much, or
not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B13. JOB_FRAUD_PAYBILLS
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or pay
your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
S4B14. JOB_FRAUD_VICTIM
Thinking about the same incident, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
S4B15. JOB_FRAUD_SUMMARY
In your own words, please briefly describe the same incident we have been talking about.

Consumer investment fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A CONSUMER INVESTMENT FRAUD
VICTIM BY REPORTING –
•

S5c1=1 or S5cx>0 or S5c2>0 (INVEST_MADEUP=1 or INVEST_MADEUP_NUM>0 or
INVEST_MADEUP_NO_PS>0)
(RESPONDENT BELIEVES INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY WAS MADE UP)

S5B1intro. INVEST_INTRO
You indicated that you invested money with a person or company that tricked you or lied to you, and
you believe the investment was made up or your money was never invested at all. I would like to ask
you a few additional questions related to that experience. When answering these questions, please only
think about 1, the MOST RECENT TIME you had> that experience.
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S5B1. INVEST_TYPE
Which ONE of the following BEST DESCRIBES the type of investment you thought you were making?
Were you investing in…
1=A low valued stock, also called a ‘penny stock’?
2=Shares of a company prior to the company going public?
3=Real estate or a real estate investment trust?
4=A company that explores for new oil or gas?
5=An alternative energy company?
6=A government or corporate bond or promissory note?
7=A foreign currency?
8=Precious metals?
9=Other products that could be traded?
10=Or something else? (ask S5B1o)
S5B1o. INVEST_TYPE_SP
What were you investing in? ________________________
S5B2. INVEST_PAYTOTAL
How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company?
Round to the nearest dollar.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
$[___________]
S5B3. INVEST_MONEYBACK
Did you get ANY of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal action?
1=YES
2=NO (skip to S5B5)
S5B4. INVEST_MONEYBACKTOTAL
How much money did you get back?
Round to the nearest dollar.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
$[___________]
HARD EDIT CHECK INVEST_MONEYBACK_CK; If S5B4>S5B2
The amount of money the respondent got back is greater than or equal to the amount of money they
gave.
S5B5. INVEST_REPORTED
Still thinking about the same incident, did you report the incident to a law enforcement agency, such as
the local police, a sheriff or a federal law enforcement agency?
1=YES (skip to S5B7)
2=NO
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S5B6. INVEST_NOTREPORTED
Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement?
PROBE: Any other reason?
Enter all that apply.
DIDN’T KNOW
1=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
2=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH
4=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
5=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
DIDN’T THINK POLICE COULD HELP
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
9=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
PERSONAL REASONS
10=DIDN’T WANT TO HAVE ANY CONTACT WITH THE POLICE
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
13=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
OTHER
14=OTHER
S5B7. INVEST_FAMILY
Did you tell or attempt to tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S5B7a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7b. INVEST_LAWYER
A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7c. INVEST_BANK
Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7d. INVEST_CUSTSERVICE
Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7e. INVEST_FTC
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Draft 06/14/2017
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7f. INVEST_CFPB
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7g. INVEST_BBB
Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7h. INVEST_IC3
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7i. INVEST_FINRA
Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7j. INVEST_SEC
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7k. INVEST_ELSE
Someone else?
1=YES (ask S5B7ko)
2=NO
S5B7ko. INVEST_ELSE_SP
Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
S5B7l. INVEST_NOTREPORTEDAGENCY
[If S5B7e=NO and S5B7f=NO and S5B7g=NO and S5B7h=NO and S5B7i=NO and S5B7j=NO]
Why did you not report this incident to a consumer protection agency? Consumer protection agencies
include the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Better
Business Bureau (BBB), Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), Financial Industry Regulatory Authority
(FINRA), and Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
PROBE: Any other reason?
Enter all that apply.
DIDN’T KNOW
1=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
2=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH
4=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
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5=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE ORGANIZATION/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
DIDN’T THINK THEY COULD HELP
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
9=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
PERSONAL REASONS
10=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
11=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
OTHER
13=OTHER
S5B8. INVEST_DISTRESS
The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. These questions are about
how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
Still thinking about the same incident, how distressing was it? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing,
2=Mildly distressing,
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?
S5B9. INVEST_IMPACTJOB
Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble with your
boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B10. INVEST_IMPACTFAMILY
Did this same incident lead you to have significant problems with family members or friends, including
getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you could trust them as much, or
not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B11. INVEST_PAYBILLS
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE INCIDENT, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or pay
your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?

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S5B12. INVEST_VICTIM
Thinking about the same incident, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
S5B13. INVEST_SUMMARY
In your own words, please briefly describe the same incident we have been talking about.

Consumer products or services fraud (excluding unauthorized billing) – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A CONSUMER PRODUCTS OR
SERVICES FRAUD VICTIM BY REPORTING –
•
•
•

S6d=2, 3 (PROD_SERV_CHANCE=2, 3) (NOT A CHANCE OR DON’T KNOW IF RESPONDENT WILL
GET THEIR MONEY BACK, SINGLE INC REPORTED) or
S6d1=2, 3 (PROD_SERV_CHANCEMULT=2, 3) (NOT A CHANCE OR DON’T KNOW IF RESPONDENT
WILL GET THEIR MONEY BACK, MULTIPLE INCS REPORTED) or
S6c2>S6d2 (PROD_SERV_TRY_NUM>PROD_SERV_CHANCE_NUM) (NUMBER OF INCS WHERE
RESP THINKS THERE IS A CHANCE THEY WILL GET THEIR MONEY BACK IS LESS THAN THE
NUMBER OF INCS WHERE THE RESP TRIED TO GET IT BACK)

S6B1intro. PRODUCT_SERVICE_INTRO
You indicated that you paid for a product or service that you never received or turned out to be a scam. I
would like to ask you a few additional questions related to that experience. When answering these
questions, please only think about

1, fill the MOST RECENT TIME you tried to get your money back and there is no chance or
you don’t know if there is a chance that you will get your money back.>
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S6B2. PRODUCT_OR_SERVICE
Would you say you were trying to purchase a PRODUCT or a SERVICE?
1=PRODUCT
2=SERVICE (skip to S6B5)
3=DON'T KNOW (skip to S6B6)
S6B3. PRODUCT_TYPE
Which ONE of the following BEST DESCRIBES the type of product you were trying to purchase? Was it…
1=A weight loss or health product or supplement?
2=Clothing or accessories?
3=A collectible or some type of memorabilia?
4=Electronics or computer software?
5=Gemstones or precious metals?
6=Automobile parts?
7=Or something else? (ask S6b3o)
S6b3o. PRODUCT_TYPE_SP
What type of product were you trying to purchase? _______________________
S6B4. PRODUCT_RECEIVED
Regardless of whether it was worthless or a scam, did you receive an actual product?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON'T KNOW
(skip to S6B6)
S6B5. SERVICE_TYPE
Which ONE of the following BEST DESCRIBES the type of service you were trying to purchase? Was it…
1=An insurance service?
2=Computer virus removal or repair services?
3=Home or vehicle repair services?
4=Internet or phone services?
5=Website hosting or web domain services?
6=A service to prevent losses from fraud or identity theft?
7=A service to help you manage or pay off a debt?
8=A service to remove negative information from your credit report?
9=A home, apartment, or vacation rental service?
10=A service to help grow your business?
11=An adoption service?
12=Or something else? (ask S6B5o)
S6B5o. SERVICE_TYPE_SP
What type of service were you trying to purchase?____________________
S6b5a. SERVICE_RECEIVED
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Regardless of whether it was worthless or a scam, did you receive this service?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
S6B6. PROD_SERV_PAYTOTAL
How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company?
Round to the nearest dollar.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
$[___________]
S6B7. PROD_SERV_MONEYBACK
Did you get ANY of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal action?
1=YES
2=NO (skip to S6B9)
S6B8. PROD_SERV_MONEYBACKTOTAL
How much money did you get back?
Round to the nearest dollar.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
$[___________]
HARD EDIT CHECK PROD_SERV_MONEYBACK_CK; If S6B8>S6B6
The amount of money the respondent got back is greater than or equal to the amount of money they
gave.
S6B9. PROD_SERV_REPORTED
Still thinking about the same incident, did you report the incident to a law enforcement agency, such as
the local police, a sheriff or a federal law enforcement agency?
1=YES (skip to S6B11)
2=NO
S6B10. PROD_SERV_NOTREPORTED
Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement?
PROBE: Any other reason?
Enter all that apply.
DIDN’T KNOW
1=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
2=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH
4=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
5=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
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6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
DIDN’T THINK POLICE COULD HELP
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
9=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
PERSONAL REASONS
10=DIDN’T WANT TO HAVE ANY CONTACT WITH THE POLICE
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
13=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
OTHER
14=OTHER
S6B11. PROD_SERV_FAMILY
Did you tell or attempt to tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S6B11a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11b. PROD_SERV_LAWYER
A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11c. PROD_SERV_BANK
Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11d. PROD_SERV_CUSTSERVICE
Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11e. PROD_SERV_FTC
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11f. PROD_SERV_CFPB
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11g. PROD_SERV_BBB
Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11h. PROD_SERV_IC3
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
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1=YES
2=NO
S6B11i. PROD_SERV_ATTORNEY
State Attorney General Office?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11j. PROD_SERV_ELSE
Someone else?
1=YES (ask S6B11jo)
2=NO
S6B11jo. PROD_SERV_ELSE_SP
Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
S6B11l. PROD_SERV_NOTREPORTEDAGENCY
[If S6B11e=NO and S6B11f=NO and S6B11g=NO and S6B11h=NO and S6B11i=NO]
Why did you not report this incident to a consumer protection agency? Consumer protection agencies
include the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Better
Business Bureau (BBB), Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and State Attorneys General Office.
PROBE: Any other reason?
Enter all that apply.
DIDN’T KNOW
1=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
2=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH
4=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
5=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE ORGANIZATION/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
DIDN’T THINK THEY COULD HELP
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
9=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
PERSONAL REASONS
10=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
11=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
OTHER
13=OTHER
S6B12. PROD_SERV_DISTRESS
The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. These questions are about
how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
Still thinking about the same incident, how distressing was it? Would you say it was…
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Draft 06/14/2017
1=Not at all distressing,
2=Mildly distressing,
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?
S6B13. PROD_SERV_IMPACTJOB
Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble with your
boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B14. PROD_SERV_IMPACTFAMILY
Did this same incident lead you to have significant problems with family members or friends, including
getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you could trust them as much, or
not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B15. PROD_SERV_PAYBILLS
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or pay
your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
S6B16. PROD_SERV_VICTIM
Thinking about the same incident, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW

S6B17. PROD_SERV_SUMMARY
In your own words, please briefly describe the same incident we have been talking about.

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Relationship/trust fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A FRAUD VICTIM BY REPORTING –
•

S7=1 (TRUST=1) (ENDORSED BEHAVIOR)

S7B1intro. TRUST_INTRO
You indicated that you donated, sent, or otherwise gave money to someone who pretended to be a
family member, friend, caregiver, or someone interested in you romantically, but that person was not
who they claimed to be. I would like to ask you a few additional questions related to that experience.
When answering these questions, please only think about 1, the MOST RECENT TIME you had>
that experience.
S7B1. TRUST_ROMANTIC
Was this person someone who seemed to have a romantic interest in you?
1=YES (skip to S7B3)
2=NO
S7B2. TRUST_FAMILYMEM
Did the person pretend to be a family member?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B3. TRUST_CONTACT
Which ONE of the following BEST DESCRIBES how you were first contacted by this person?
1=Through a chat room,
2=Through a dating app or website,
3=Through social media (Facebook, Twitter, YouTube),
4=Through another website,
5=In an email,
6=By a text message or phone call,
7=A mutual friend or someone claiming to be a mutual friend, or
8=Some other way?
S7B4. TRUST_PAYTOTAL
How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company?
Round to the nearest dollar.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
$[___________]
S7B5. TRUST_MONEYBACK
Did you get ANY of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal action?
1=YES
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2=NO (skip to S7B7)
S7B6. TRUST_MONEYBACKTOTAL
How much money did you get back?
Round to the nearest dollar.
If respondent is unsure, ask for an estimate.
$[___________]
HARD EDIT CHECK TRUST_MONEYBACK_CK; If S7B6>S7B4
The amount of money the respondent got back is greater than or equal to the amount of money they
gave.
S7B7. TRUST_REPORTED
Still thinking about the same incident, did you report the incident to a law enforcement agency, such as
the local police, a sheriff or a federal law enforcement agency?
1=YES (skip to S7B9)
2=NO
S7B8. TRUST_NOTREPORTED
Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement?
PROBE: Any other reason?
Enter all that apply.
DIDN’T KNOW
1=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
2=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH
4=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
5=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
DIDN’T THINK POLICE COULD HELP
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
9=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
PERSONAL REASONS
10=DIDN’T WANT TO HAVE ANY CONTACT WITH THE POLICE
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
13=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
OTHER
14=OTHER
S7B9. TRUST_FAMILY
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Did you tell or attempt to tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S7B9a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B9b. TRUST_LAWYER
A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B9c. TRUST_BANK
Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B9d. TRUST_FTC
Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B9e. TRUST_CFPB
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B9f. TRUST_BBB
Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B9g. TRUST_IC3
Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B9h. TRUST_ATTORNEY
State Attorney General Office?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B9i. TRUST_ELSE
Someone else?
1=YES (ask S7B9io)
2=NO
S7B9io. TRUST_ELSE_SP
Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
S7B9j. TRUST_NOTREPORTEDAGENCY
[If S7B9d=NO and S7B9e=NO and S7B9f=NO and S7B9g=NO and S7B9h=NO]
Why did you not report this incident to a consumer protection agency? Consumer protection agencies
include the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), Better
Business Bureau (BBB), Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3), and State Attorneys General Office.
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PROBE: Any other reason?
Enter all that apply.
DIDN’T KNOW
1=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
2=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
NOT IMPORTANT ENOUGH
4=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
5=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE ORGANIZATION/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
DIDN’T THINK THEY COULD HELP
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
9=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
PERSONAL REASONS
10=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
11=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
OTHER
13=OTHER
S7B10. TRUST_DISTRESS
The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. These questions are about
how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
Still thinking about the same incident, how distressing was it? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing,
2=Mildly distressing,
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?
S7B11. TRUST_IMPACTJOB
Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble with your
boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B12. TRUST_IMPACTFAMILY
Did this same incident lead you to have significant problems with family members or friends, including
getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you could trust them as much, or
not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO

42

Draft 06/14/2017
S7B13. TRUST_PAYBILLS
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or pay
your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
S7B14. TRUST_VICTIM
Thinking about the same incident, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
S7B15. TRUST_SUMMARY
In your own words, please briefly describe the same incident we have been talking about.

43

Attachment 3:
NCVS-572(L) Census initial contact letter

NCVS-572(L) PHILADELPHIA
(1-2016)

DC

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC 20233-0001
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

FROM THE DIRECTOR
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
The U.S. Census Bureau is conducting a survey for the U.S. Department of Justice to obtain
information on the type and amount of crime committed against households and individuals
throughout the country. A Census Bureau representative will be contacting you soon. Our
representative will show an official identification card and ask for some important information
on this subject from you and your household.
The information you provide our representative will help inform the country about how much
crime there is, where it occurs, when it occurs, what crime costs victims, and which segments
of the population are most frequently victimized. Since many crimes are never reported to the
police, information from this survey will show a more complete picture of the amount and types
of crime occurring in the United States. The survey results are used in many ways, including
by citizens to evaluate their vulnerabilities, by legislators and policymakers to develop
programs to aid crime victims and prevent crime, and by researchers to understand various
aspects of crime victimization.
Your address is part of a scientifically selected sample of addresses chosen throughout the
country for participation in this survey. Because this is a sample survey, your answers
represent not only you and your household, but also hundreds of other households like yours.
For this reason, your voluntary cooperation is very important. I hope you will answer all the
survey questions as completely and accurately as possible. Although there are no penalties for
failure to answer any question, each unanswered question substantially lessens the accuracy
of the final data. Your answers will be used only to prepare statistical summaries, and no
information about your household or you as an individual can be identified from these
statistics. The law completely protects your confidential answers from disclosure.
Answers to the most frequently asked survey questions are on the reverse side of this letter.
If you would like further information, contact the Census Bureau by writing or calling the
following office:
REGIONAL DIRECTOR
US CENSUS BUREAU
100 S INDEPENDENCE MALL W #410
PHILADELPHIA PA 19106-2320
Telephone: 1–800–262–4236
Thank you for your cooperation. The Census Bureau appreciates your help.
Sincerely,

John H. Thompson
Director

census.gov

What is the National Crime Victimization Survey all about?
This survey, called the National Crime Victimization Survey, collects data measuring the types
and amount of crime involving people age 12 or older. Periodically, the survey includes such
additional topics as crime in schools, contacts with law enforcement, and identity theft.
How was I selected for this survey?
Actually, we selected your living quarters, not you personally for this survey. We scientifically
selected a sample of addresses across the country to represent the entire population. At each
selected address, we interview household members age 12 or older. If your household should
move away while your address is still in the survey, we would interview the new family that
moves in.
Will information I provide be confidential?
We are conducting this survey under the authority of Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.),
Section 8. Section 9 of this law requires us to keep all information about you and your
household strictly confidential. We may use this information only for statistical purposes. Also,
Title 42, U.S.C., Section 3732, authorizes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of
Justice, to collect information using this survey. Title 42, U.S.C., Sections 3789g and 3735, also
requires us to keep all information about you and your household strictly confidential.
(OMB Number: 1121-0111; Expiration Date: 08/31/2018.)
Do I have to participate?
The survey is voluntary, and there are no penalties for not participating. We expect the interview
to take about 25 minutes. Your interview may be somewhat shorter or longer than this
depending on your circumstances. If you have any comments about this survey or have
recommendations for reducing its length, send them to the Chief, Victimization Statistics Branch,
Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, DC 20531.
How are the data used?
Data from this survey are used to provide information on many topics related to crime and
victimization, including crime in schools, trends in violent crime, costs of crime, and the response
of law enforcement to reports of victimization. To see examples of reports, tables, and charts
that use data from the survey, you can visit the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ Web site at
.
I thought that the Census Bureau only operated every 10 years, when they
counted people. What is the Census Bureau doing now?
In addition to the decennial census, which is conducted every 10 years, the Census Bureau
collects many different types of statistics. We conduct other censuses required by law on a
regular basis, including the censuses of business and manufacturers and the census of state
and local governments. Additionally, we collect data on a monthly basis to provide current
information on such topics as labor force participation, retail and wholesale trade, various
manufacturing activities, and trade statistics, as well as yearly surveys of business,
manufacturing and governments, family income, and education.

NCVS-572(L)

Attachment 4:
NCVS-573(L) Census follow-up interview letter

NCVS-573(L) PHILADELPHIA
(1-2016)

DC

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
Economics and Statistics Administration

U.S. Census Bureau
Washington, DC 20233-0001
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR

FROM THE DIRECTOR
U.S. CENSUS BUREAU
Several months ago, a representative from the U.S. Census Bureau contacted residents at your
address in connection with the National Crime Victimization Survey, which the Census Bureau
is conducting for the U.S. Department of Justice. The survey now calls for us to interview at
your address again. Our representative needs to update the characteristics and experiences of
the current residents of this address, whether we talked with you before or whether you moved
to this address since our last interview.
This survey collects important information on the extent to which individuals in this country are
victims of crime. The survey results are used in many ways, including by citizens to evaluate
their vulnerabilities, by legislators and policymakers to develop programs to aid crime victims
and prevent crime, and by researchers to understand various aspects of crime victimization.
A Census Bureau representative from our field office will contact you shortly to ask you and
other members of your household some questions on this subject. We conduct this survey
under the authority of Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.), Section 8. Section 9 of this law
requires us to keep all information about you and your household strictly confidential. We may
use this information only for statistical purposes. Also, Title 42, U.S.C., Section 3732, authorizes
the Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice, to collect information using this
survey. Title 42, U.S.C., Sections 3789g and 3735, also requires us to keep all information
about you and your household strictly confidential.
Because this is a sample survey, your answers represent not only you and your household, but
also hundreds of other households like yours. For this reason, your participation in this voluntary
survey is extremely important to ensure the completeness and accuracy of the final results.
Although there are no penalties for failure to answer any question, each unanswered question
substantially lessens the accuracy of the final data.
Answers to the most frequently asked survey questions are on the reverse side of this letter.
If you would like further information, contact the Census Bureau by writing or calling the
following office:
REGIONAL DIRECTOR
US CENSUS BUREAU
100 S INDEPENDENCE MALL W #410
PHILADELPHIA PA 19106-2320
Telephone: 1–800–262–4236
Thank you for your cooperation. The Census Bureau appreciates your help.
Sincerely,

John H. Thompson
Director

census.gov

What is the National Crime Victimization Survey all about?
This survey, called the National Crime Victimization Survey, collects data measuring the types
and amount of crime involving people age 12 or older. Periodically, the survey includes such
additional topics as crime in schools, contacts with law enforcement, and identity theft.
How was I selected for this survey?
Actually, we selected your living quarters, not you personally for this survey. We scientifically
selected a sample of addresses across the country to represent the entire population. At each
selected address, we interview household members age 12 or older. If your household should
move away while your address is still in the survey, we would interview the new family that
moves in.
Will information I provide be confidential?
We are conducting this survey under the authority of Title 13, United States Code (U.S.C.),
Section 8. Section 9 of this law requires us to keep all information about you and your
household strictly confidential. We may use this information only for statistical purposes. Also,
Title 42, U.S.C., Section 3732, authorizes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, Department of
Justice, to collect information using this survey. Title 42, U.S.C., Sections 3789g and 3735, also
requires us to keep all information about you and your household strictly confidential.
(OMB Number: 1121-0111; Expiration Date: 08/31/2018.)
Do I have to participate?
The survey is voluntary, and there are no penalties for not participating. We expect the interview
to take about 25 minutes. Your interview may be somewhat shorter or longer than this
depending on your circumstances. If you have any comments about this survey or have
recommendations for reducing its length, send them to the Chief, Victimization Statistics Branch,
Bureau of Justice Statistics, Washington, DC 20531.
How are the data used?
Data from this survey are used to provide information on many topics related to crime and
victimization, including crime in schools, trends in violent crime, costs of crime, and the response
of law enforcement to reports of victimization. To see examples of reports, tables, and charts
that use data from the survey, you can visit the Bureau of Justice Statistics’ Web site at
.
I thought that the Census Bureau only operated every 10 years, when they
counted people. What is the Census Bureau doing now?
In addition to the decennial census, which is conducted every 10 years, the Census Bureau
collects many different types of statistics. We conduct other censuses required by law on a
regular basis, including the censuses of business and manufacturers and the census of state
and local governments. Additionally, we collect data on a monthly basis to provide current
information on such topics as labor force participation, retail and wholesale trade, various
manufacturing activities, and trade statistics, as well as yearly surveys of business,
manufacturing and governments, family income, and education.

NCVS-573(L)

Attachment 5:
Round 1 Crowdsource Cognitive Testing Protocol

NCVS Supplemental Fraud Survey (SFS)
Cognitive Testing Protocol for Crowdsourcing–Fall 2016
INFORMED CONSENT
Who is doing this study?
RTI International, a not-for-profit research organization, is testing a Supplemental Fraud Survey (SFS) for the Bureau
of Justice Statistics, within the United States Department of Justice.
What are we asking you to do and why?
RTI is asking you to help pretest some of the questions that will be asked in the SFS. To clarify, we are not asking you
to take part in the SFS; rather, we are asking you to assist with the development of the SFS survey. RTI will be asking
~300 people to participate in pretesting the questions. The questions we are asking you to pretest will ask about your
experiences with fraud. We are asking you to answer the questions and provide recommendations and comments
that can help improve the questions.
Benefits
There is no direct benefit to you for participating in this study.
Risks/Discomforts
There is some risk of emotional distress for the respondents given the personal nature of the topics covered in the
survey. If you choose to participate, you are free to stop answering questions at any time or skip any questions you
do not wish to answer.
Confidentiality
RTI will not have access to your name or identity and neither your name nor your identity will be associated with
your survey responses. The only exception to this is if you agree to be contacted about a later study, in which case
you will choose what information you provide. All information RTI collects will be kept completely confidential.
Future use of study data
RTI will store all the information from this study, in a secure manner, for up to 5 years.
Compensation/Payment
You will receive $0.75 through MTurk in appreciation for your participation.
Questions
If you have any questions or concerns about this study, you may contact the study team by phone at: 1-800-334-8571
x(21236)
If you have any questions or concerns about your rights and treatment as a participant in this study, you may contact
the office of RTI’s Office of Research Protection at 1-866-214-2043.
Consent
Your participation in this research project is voluntary, and you have the right to stop at any time. If you agree to
participate, please select “Yes” below.
1=Yes
2=No

[If INFORMED CONSENT=NO, end session].
INTRODUCTION
The survey you are about to take is not a typical survey. It is actually a survey where we want your feedback about the
survey questions.
Next to each question there will be a box for you to add comments about the question, including any difficulty
understanding specific terms or recommendations for improvements.
There are also some questions where we may ask you to provide more information.
We want your honest feedback as your comments and recommendations will be used to improve the survey questions
in the future. We will present the survey questions to you in black font and our questions about the survey will be in
blue font.
A_INTRO
These questions refer to experiences in which someone convinced you to pay, invest, or donate money by
intentionally misrepresenting, lying about, or hiding information about something they promised that you would
receive. Please only tell us about things you experienced in the past 12 months -- that is since [AUTOFILL DATE A
YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE].
A1a
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you invested in
something that was supposed to give you a high rate of return, but the investment caused you to lose money or did
not provide the return you expected?
1=Yes
2=No
[A1a_FOLLOWUP APPEARS ON SCREEN AFTER RESPONSE CHOSEN]
A1a_FOLLOWUP
[IF A1a=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
In a few sentences, please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A1b
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], has anyone convinced you to
invest your money in something by promising a high or guaranteed rate of return, but the investment turned out to
be made up, or you suspect your money was never invested at all?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A1b=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
In a few sentences, please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:

Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A2a
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by paying for any products or services
that turned out to be different from or of lesser quality than what had been advertised or what you expected?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A2a=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
In a few sentences, please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A2b
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by
paying for any products or services that you never received or that turned out to be a scam?

1=Yes
2=No
[IF A2b=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
In a few sentences, please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A3a
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], has someone used one of your existing accounts, such as a
banking or credit account, without your permission?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A3a=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
In a few sentences, please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A3b
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], has someone, without your permission, used your personal
information to open a new account or for other illegal purposes, such as filing a false tax return or submitting false
medical claims?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A3b=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
In a few sentences, please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:

Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A3c
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money
because you were charged for something you did not agree to buy or you were intentionally charged more for
something than the amount that you agreed to pay?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A3c=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
In a few sentences, please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A4
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by
selling a product or service to a deceptive buyer who never actually paid you, or only pretended to pay you using a
check that bounced or a fake account?

1=Yes
2=No
[IF A4=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
In a few sentences, please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A5
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by paying for a job, business
opportunity, or another way to earn money that in the end did not exist, was a scam, or turned out to be illegal?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A5=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
In a few sentences, please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A6
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by
paying to receive a prize, sweepstakes, grant, inheritance, lottery, loan, or other large sum of money that you were
told was yours, but you never received or later discovered did not exist?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A6=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
In a few sentences, please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:

Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A7
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by paying a person or an organization
that claimed you owed them money, but you later found out their claim was false or you had already paid it off?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A7=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
In a few sentences, please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A8
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you donated money to
a charity or a charitable cause that later turned out to be fake or that you later suspected was fake?
1=Yes
2=No

[IF A8=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
In a few sentences, please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A9a
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you paid money to help a family member or friend
who mislead you about what they were using the money for or did not pay you back as they said they would?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A9a=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
In a few sentences, please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A9b
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money
because you were convinced to help someone who pretended to be a family member, friend, caregiver, or someone
interested in you romantically, but that person turned out to be an imposter?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A9b=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
In a few sentences, please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:

Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A10
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], did you send money to someone who claimed they would
pay you to help with transferring or accessing money, but they just kept your money and did not pay you what you
had been promised?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A10=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
In a few sentences, please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A11
Besides what we have already asked you about, in the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO
FROM SURVEY DATE], what else happened to you that involved someone convincing you to pay them money by
misrepresenting, lying about, or hiding information?

END
Thank you for completing the survey. Your completion code is below. Please enter the below number into your HIT
and submit it for payment.
Completion Code
[rand num]

Resources for Victims of Fraud
United States Department of the Treasury: FinCEN (Financial Crimes Enforcement Network)
https://www.fincen.gov/help4victims.html
StopFraud.gov
www.stopfraud.gov
The National Center for Victims of Crime: Financial Fraud Resources
https://victimsofcrime.org/our-programs/financial-crime-resource-center/fraud-resources

Attachment 6:
Round 1 Crowdsource Pretesting Findings

NCVS Supplemental Fraud Survey (SFS)
Round 1 Crowdsource Pretesting Findings

In October 2016, RTI pretested the proposed screener items for the NCVS Supplemental Fraud Survey (SFS) via
crowdsourcing. One hundred and fifty participants completed the screener questions and were provided
opportunities to provide feedback. Those who endorsed an incident as having occurred in the past 12 months were
asked to describe what happened in a few sentences. This document provides a summary of the number of
responses given, categorized by whether or not we believe it to follow the legal definition of fraud, and includes
some examples of the descriptions provided.
Based upon the amount of information given, all explanations were categorized as one of the following: Fraud,
Maybe Fraud, Theft, or NO CRIME. Any text that clearly described fraudulent activity was coded as “Fraud.”
Responses were categorized as “Maybe Fraud” if the descriptions could be describing fraudulent actions but not
enough information was given. The category of “Theft” was used when the incident being described would be
considered theft as opposed to fraud. The final category of “NO CRIME caught all other responses that seemed to
constitute neither fraud nor theft.
For consistency, questions that were red in the original document provided by BJS are also red here. These items are
designed to enable respondents to tell about experiences they had that might be similar to fraud situations, but the
idea was that these items would not identify experiences that constituted fraud.
If a participant responded “No” to the survey question, they were given an opportunity to provide feedback on the
question wording and understandability. These responses are not reflected in this document, nor are any similar
comments provided by those who answered “Yes” to the survey question. We have a lot more data and analyses
thereof that can be shared with BJS, if they are of interest.

A1a
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you invested in
something that was supposed to give you a high rate of return, but the investment caused you to lose money or did
not provide the return you expected?
1=Yes
2=No
‘Yes’ responses = 29
Fraud = 7
Of these 7 respondents, 3 reported the fraud again in A1b.
“I was convinced to invest $1,000 in a startup business that a friend of a friend was founding. It was a tattoo shop in
my local town. Needless to say that the business never even opened and this dude took off and hasn't been seen
since May.”
“I invested all my money, my life savings which was 115,000 into a forex trading account managed by a trader based
in Greece. It turns out that he's a fraud and has been lying to all the investors after all these years. He is not a forex
trader but a professional gambler and has lost all our money gambling it away.”
Maybe Fraud = 3
“I loaned a friend of mine some money to help him start a business and I was supposed to get both the principal and
an additional 20% back. I'm still waiting.”
Theft = 0
NO CRIME = 19
“I was talked into buying a big box of products for a set price and told they would be easy to sell for more than twice
the amount I paid for them. Nobody wanted them.”
“A friend convinced me to invest in a stock based on natural type of energy corporation and as of today my
investment is in the negative. I have kept this stock hoping it would come back up but so far not.”
“My cousin started a business and came to me for a loan, and I gave him a loan of $1,000. He guaranteed that I
would see the money doubled back to me by the end of the year. His business failed and I got nothing because he
has no idea how to run a business. Had a good plan, but no execution skills.”
A1b
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], has anyone convinced you to
invest your money in something by promising a high or guaranteed rate of return, but the investment turned out to
be made up, or you suspect your money was never invested at all?
1=Yes
2=No
‘Yes’ responses = 10
Fraud = 4
“A friend of mine referred to me his cousin, who said I can give him $500 for this app he has and that it has been
expected to provide a positive rate of return in one year…So my $500 actually became $850 in a few months...I

decided to give him $2000, and he said it can double in 8 months or less…I checked in on him a week later and he's
gone. My friend told me that he bolted off to Cali, with his money, my money, and a couple of other peoples'
money.”
Maybe Fraud = 3
“A friend of a friend was trying to attract investors to a restaurant he was planning to open. Knowing that he has had
successes in the past we decided, along with several friends, to get in on the restaurant. Suffice it to say, the
restaurant is still not open and we have not received any of our initial funding back although we still keep getting
vague responses like the restaurant will still open but a couple of years from now. We want our money back now.”
Theft = 0
NO CRIME = 3
“A friend asked me to invest stock in his company.”
A2a
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by paying for any products or services
that turned out to be different from or of lesser quality than what had been advertised or what you expected?
1=Yes
2=No
‘Yes’ responses = 56
Fraud = 2
Neither of these 2 reported the fraud in A2b.
“I bought a Samsung smart phone from a person and it turned out to be a cheap knock off.”
Maybe Fraud = 8
“We were told by a DirecTV rep that since we were also AT&T wireless customers that we would get free unlimited
cellular data. It was not said that it would be at an additional cost. Also, we were told we could add 5 free a la carte
channels to our package. No one at DirecTV has ever even heard of that.”
“The products were supposed to be quality vitamins and shampoos. They were such poor quality from the company I
invested in with my cousin.”
Theft = 0
NO CRIME = 46
“My headphones immediately broke and when returned the next pair did the same.”
“I bought face wash that was supposed to help with black heads. It actually made me break out worse after only 2
uses. I was out $10 and was forced to throw it away.”
“I bought a set of sheets from Walmart that I've had for barely two months but are already starting to unravel at the
stitch lines.”
“Sometimes my internet service throttles my download speed result in less that 100mbps that is advertised.”
A2b

In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by
paying for any products or services that you never received or that turned out to be a scam?
1=Yes
2=No
‘Yes’ responses = 10
Fraud = 3
“Earlier this year a girl knocked on my door and claimed to be selling books to raise money for college. She asked for
cash for partial payment. Later I received a bill from the company she claimed to represent which said I gave her less
cash than I actually had (which indicated to me that she pocketed some of the cash). I wrote a check to the company
for the difference, and I never received the books that I had ordered from her. I lost about $80 because of that.”
“I invested all my money, my life savings which was 115,000 into a forex trading account managed by a trader based
in Greece. It turns out that he's a fraud and has been lying to all the investors after all these years. He is not a forex
trader but a professional gambler and has lost all our money gambling it away.”
Maybe Fraud = 4
“I ordered $110 worth of clothing from a website and it never arrived.”
“I made a purchase online and I never received the products. I am still going around and around with the company
trying to obtain a refund or replacement product.”
Theft = 1
“I paid someone to clean up the yard and remove all the leftover junk the previous tenant left. He took one load and
left the rest after he was paid in full.”
NO CRIME = 2
“I bought tickets to the race track but due to their ridiculous traffic I couldn't get in. I gave up and went home after
moving 100ft in 1.5 hours. I think it's a scam because surely they know about the traffic situation. They knew we
couldn't all get in.”
A3a
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], has someone used one of your existing accounts, such as a
banking or credit account, without your permission?
1=Yes
2=No
‘Yes’ responses = 28
Fraud = 0
Maybe Fraud = 0
Theft = 24
“I had a credit card that was used several times fraudulently before I realized it. Whoever had my credit card
numbers was running it several times at a gas station in Miami. I called the credit card company who cancelled the
card and refunded the charges.”

“My husband used my child support card without telling me. He purposely took the card out of my wallet and put it
back without telling me knowing he did not have my permission to use it.”
NO CRIME = 4
“My mother registered for a bank account under her and my name, yet my tax returns went to our "joint" account
instead.”
A3b
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], has someone, without your permission, used your personal
information to open a new account or for other illegal purposes, such as filing a false tax return or submitting false
medical claims?
1=Yes
2=No
‘Yes’ responses = 7
Fraud = 5
While 2 of these people responded yes to A3c, they both reported different incidents, neither of which were fraud.
“Someone filed their taxes using my social security number and it took me 11 months to repair the damage done.”
“They tried to open checking. The address didn't match so the bank put a freeze on the account and called me and I
informed them it wasn't me. They closed it.”
“Ex used my social for her children in the emergency room, even though I am not the parent of her children.”
Maybe Fraud = 0
Theft = 0
NO CRIME = 2
“My grandmother is a shady narcissist…who bullied me with threatening to kick me out of the house into signing
financial documents of which she would not even allow me to read. She claimed that it was "money for me" but then
I am not allowed to touch said money "without paying her back" even though it's mine…”
A3c
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money
because you were charged for something you did not agree to buy or you were intentionally charged more for
something than the amount that you agreed to pay?
1=Yes
2=No
‘Yes’ responses = 20
Fraud = 0
Maybe Fraud = 3
“I received a free sample and the next month I was sent another order and charged a lot of money for that I did not
order.”

Theft = 2
“A waiter at a restaurant added an extra tip to my bill that I later seen on my statement. I disputed the charge and
the waiter was eventually fired for their theft.”
NO CRIME = 15
“This does happen with sales at the grocery store. I have to watch the bill because sometimes they charge more than
what is marked on the shelf.”
“Sort of... My ISP charged me a lot more than I expected. They added a bunch of fees that were made up.”
“Hotel billed an extra $65 for unknown reasons. Bank disputed and it has been resolved.”
A4
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by
selling a product or service to a deceptive buyer who never actually paid you, or only pretended to pay you using a
check that bounced or a fake account?
1=Yes
2=No
‘Yes’ responses = 6
Fraud = 1
“I was supposed to be a mystery shopper. I was sent a bad check to put in my account.”
Maybe Fraud = 1
I sold something on eBay to someone who I believe defrauded me”
Theft = 2
“Yes, I did transcription work for a company that has not paid me.”
NO CRIME = 2
“I went tubing with my friends. Their tubes popped. I was the only one with a credit card so I bought them 2 new
tubes. They promised to pay me back for the tubes, which they took home with them. They never paid.”
A5
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by paying for a job, business
opportunity, or another way to earn money that in the end did not exist, was a scam, or turned out to be illegal?
1=Yes
2=No
‘Yes’ responses = 7
Fraud = 3
“Myself and other co-workers were scammed out of money. The person we invested the money disappeared along
with our money.”
“I went to a job interview that required me to pay a $49.00 down payment and within a month I would have my own
office, great pay, and benefits. I was so desperate I paid the money, but I knew it was a scam.”

Maybe Fraud = 2
“Work that gets rejected on MTurk without reasons given and without communication with the requester.” (The way
MTurk runs, the person paying can reject the work done and not pay them if there is a problem. A reason should be
given, but this person is saying they do not know why they were not paid for their completed work.)
Theft = 0
NO CRIME = 2
“Yes the prior incident I listed about investing the restaurant.”
A6
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by
paying to receive a prize, sweepstakes, grant, inheritance, lottery, loan, or other large sum of money that you were
told was yours, but you never received or later discovered did not exist?
1=Yes
2=No
‘Yes’ responses = 0
A7
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by paying a person or an organization
that claimed you owed them money, but you later found out their claim was false or you had already paid it off?
1=Yes
2=No
‘Yes’ responses = 4
Fraud = 1
“I often get these phone calls. I do a reversed check online to see if they are legitimate. They are not. I never paid
anyone.”
Note: The use of the telephone makes this an attempt of wire fraud.
Maybe Fraud = 0
Theft = 1
“My gardener said I owed him for a month when I was away, but later found out my sister had paid him.”
NO CRIME = 2
“A provider was like sending a bill for something I already paid for.”
A8
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you donated money to
a charity or a charitable cause that later turned out to be fake or that you later suspected was fake?
1=Yes

2=No
‘Yes’ responses = 3
Fraud = 1
“I donated some money to an online church that turned out to be fake.”
Maybe Fraud = 2
“Salvation army Christmas bell ringer I suspected was fake.”
Theft = 0
NO CRIME = 0
A9a
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you paid money to help a family member or friend
who mislead you about what they were using the money for or did not pay you back as they said they would?
1=Yes
2=No
‘Yes’ responses = 27
Fraud = 0
Maybe Fraud = 0
Theft = 13
“Friend said they needed money for rent but used it for drugs.”
“I lent money to my cousin. He promised to pay me back, but didn't.”
Note: This is probably not theft because it is a family member. Otherwise it would be theft.
“I let a person stay in my other house as they claimed to be homeless and would pay me later for the rent. Instead
they sold the washer, dryer and refrigerator that was in the house and I got nothing.”
NO CRIME = 14
“I have been covering my brother's bills because he is unemployed. Now that he is working and I ask him for money
as a payback he complains about me asking for the money.”
“I gave my husband some cash. He was supposed to buy a pizza, get some gas, and deposit the rest. He used some
of it to buy a Google Play card for one of his games.”
A9b
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money
because you were convinced to help someone who pretended to be a family member, friend, caregiver, or someone
interested in you romantically, but that person turned out to be an imposter?
1=Yes

2=No
‘Yes’ responses = 1
Fraud = 1
“A guy on a forum claimed to be in trouble and I did send money knowing it might be a lost cause but then maybe he
needed help. No romance, just he was asking for help.”
Maybe Fraud = 0
Theft = 0
NO CRIME = 0
A10
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], did you send money to someone who claimed they would
pay you to help with transferring or accessing money, but they just kept your money and did not pay you what you
had been promised?
1=Yes
2=No
‘Yes’ responses = 1
Fraud = 0
Maybe Fraud = 0
Theft = 1
“The shady friend that i loaned $1,000 to. She claimed she'd mail me a check once she got settled but refuses to talk
to me.”
NO CRIME = 0
A11
Besides what we have already asked you about, in the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO
FROM SURVEY DATE], what else happened to you that involved someone convincing you to pay them money by
misrepresenting, lying about, or hiding information?
This was an open-ended question, so there were no ‘Yes’ responses, per se.
Fraud = 5
“I've had many IRS phone call scams where they try to get you to transfer money, but I wouldn't ever be dumb
enough to be convinced!”
“I have been receiving numerous messages on Facebook of a person or persons who claim to be affiliated with
Facebooks Mark Zuckerberg. They claimed I had won a grand prize of $500,000, and all I had to do was send them
$200 to claim my prize.”

Note: We think these are cases of fraud because impersonating the IRS and using the internet, respectively, make the
acts themselves fraud cases even if money was not lost.
Maybe Fraud = 2
“I was sponsoring 4 children through Compassion Intl. They claim that sponsors receive letters directly from the
children. I believed this until I compared the handwriting on the letters in the place where the children write (not the
translation area). When I saw that 11 letters from a 17 year old were each written in a different handwriting, I grew
suspicious that the young man was actually writing. Each letter said basically the same few sentences. I noticed that
same with the other 3 children. There were also discrepancies with some of their supposed living situations. I
cancelled all sponsorships because of this.”
Theft = 1
“Some hackers tried to access my credit information, but my life locker service stop them before they got any
information”

Attachment 7:
Round 2 Crowdsource Cognitive Testing Protocol

NCVS Supplemental Fraud Survey (SFS)
Cognitive Testing Protocol V2 for Crowdsourcing–Winter 2016
INFORMED CONSENT
[INSERT INFORMED CONSENT]
[If INFORMED CONSENT=NO, end session].
INTRODUCTION
The survey you are about to take is not a typical survey. It is actually a survey where we want your feedback about the
survey questions.
Next to each question there will be a box for you to add comments about the question, including any difficulty
understanding specific terms or recommendations for improvements.
There are also some questions where we may ask you to provide more information.
We want your honest feedback as your comments and recommendations will be used to improve the survey questions
in the future. We will present the survey questions to you in black font and our questions about the survey will be in
blue font.
A_INTRO
These next questions ask you about experiences in which someone convinced you to pay, invest, or donate money by
tricking or lying to you, or hiding information about something that they promised that you would receive.
A1a
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you invested in
something that was supposed to give you a high rate of return, but the investment caused you to lose money or did
not provide the return you expected?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A1a=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
Please describe what happened.

1

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A1b
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you invested in
something that was supposed to give you a high rate of return, but the investment turned out to be fake, or you
suspect your money was never invested at all?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A1b=1, ASK A1ba. ELSE, GO TO A1b_NO.]
A1ba. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A1ba = 1, ASK A1bb. IF A1ba >1, GO TO A1b_DESC. ELSE, GO TO A2a]
A1bb. Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or entity you invested with?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A1bb=2, ASK A1bc. ELSE, GO TO A1b_DESC.]
A1bc. Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A1bd. Are you still communicating with the person or entity that took your money?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A1bc=1, ASK A1be. ELSE, GO TO A1b_DESC.]
A1be. Do you think you will get all of your money back?
2

1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
A1b_DESC.
Please describe the first time this happened.

[IF A1a ≥ 2, ask A1b_DESC2. ELSE, GO TO A2a.]
A1b_DESC2
Please describe the second time this happened.

[IF A1a >2, Ask A1b_DESC3. ELSE, GO TO A2a.]
A1b_DESC3
Please describe the third time this happened.

[GO TO A2a.]
A1b_NO

3

Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions

A2a
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by paying for any products or services
that turned out to be different from or of lesser quality than what had been advertised or what you expected?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A2a=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
Please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A2b
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by
paying for any products or services that you never received or that turned out to be a scam?
4

1=Yes
2=No
[IF A2b=1, ASK A2ba. Else, GO TO A2b_NO.]
A2ba. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
_______ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A2ba = 1, ASK A2bb. IF A2ba>1, Go to A2b_DESC. ELSE, GO TO A3a]
A2bb. Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or company?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A2bb=2, ASK A2bc. ELSE, GO TO A2b_DESC.]
A2bc. Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A2bd. Are you still communicating with the person or entity that took your money?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A2bc=1, ASK A2be. ELSE, GO TO A2b_DESC.]
A2be.Do you think you will get all of your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
A2b_DESC.
Please describe the first time this happened.

[IF A2ba ≥ 2, ask A2b_DESC2. ELSE, GO TO A3a.]
A2b_DESC2

5

Please describe the second time this happened.

[IF A2ba >2, Ask A2b_DESC3. ELSE, GO TO A3a.]
A2b_DESC3
Please describe the third time this happened.

[GO TO A3a.]
A2b_NO
Comments/Feedback/Wording Suggestions

A3a
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], has someone used one of your existing accounts, such as a
banking or credit account, without your permission?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A3a=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
Please describe what happened.

6

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A3b
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], has someone, without your permission, used your personal
information to open a new account or for other illegal purposes, such as filing a false tax return, opening a credit card
account, or submitting false medical claims?
1=Yes
2=No
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions

[IF A3b=1, ASK A3b_FOLLOWUP. ELSE, GO TO A3c.]
A3b_FOLLOWUP
Please describe what happened.

A3c
7

In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money
because you were charged for something you did not agree to buy or you were intentionally charged more for
something than the amount that you agreed to pay?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A3c=1, ASK A3ca. ELSE, GO TO A3c_NO.]
A3ca. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[A3ca = 1, ASK A3cb. IF A3ca>1, GO TO A3c_DESC. ELSE, GO TO A4]
A3cb. Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or company?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A3cb=2, ASK A3cc. ELSE, GO TO A3c_DESC.]
A3cc. Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A3cd. Are you still communicating with the person or entity that took your money?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A3cc=1, ASK A3ce. ELSE, GO TO A3c_DESC.]
A3ce. Do you think you will get all of your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t Know
A3c_DESC.
Please describe the first time this happened.

[IF A3ca ≥ 2, ask A3c_DESC2. ELSE, GO TO A4.]
A3c_DESC2
8

Please describe the second time this happened.

[IF A3ca >2, Ask A3c_DESC3. ELSE, GO TO A4.]
A3c_DESC3
Please describe the third time this happened.

[GO TO A4]
A3c_NO
Comments/Feedback/Wording Suggestions

A4
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], were you tricked into paying for a job, business
opportunity, or another way to earn money that did not exist, was a scam, or turned out to be illegal?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A4=1, ASK A4a. ELSE, GO TO A4_NO.]
A4a. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A4a=1, ASK A4b. IF A4a>1, GO TO A4_DESC. ELSE GO TO A5]
9

A4b. Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or company?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A4b=2, ASK A4c. ELSE, Go to A4_DESC.]
A4c. Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A4d. Are you still communicating with the person or entity that took your money?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A4c=1, ASK A4e. ELSE, GO to A4_DESC.]
A4e. Do you think you will get all of your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t Know
A4_DESC.
Please describe the first time this happened.

[IF A4a ≥ 2, ask A4_DESC2. ELSE, GO TO A5.]
A4_DESC2
Please describe the second time this happened.

[IF A4a >2, Ask A4_DESC3. ELSE, GO TO A5.]
A4_DESC3

10

Please describe the third time this happened.

[GO TO A5.]
A4_NO
Comments/Feedback/Wording Suggestions

A5
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you been tricked into
paying money to receive a prize, grant, inheritance, lottery winnings, or other large sum of money that you were told
was yours, but you never received?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A5=1, ASK A5a. ELSE, GO TO A5_NO.]
A5a. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A5a = 1, ASK A5b. IF A5a >1, GO TO A5_DESC. ELSE GO TO A6]
A5b. Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or company?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A5b=2, ASK A5c. ELSE, GO TO A5_DESC.]
A5c. Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A5d. Are you still communicating with the person or entity that took your money?
11

1=Yes
2=No
[IF A5c=1, ASK A5e. ELSE, GO TO A5_DESC.]
A5e. Do you think you will get all of your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t Know
A5_DESC.
Please describe the first time this happened.

[IF A5a ≥ 2, ask A5_DESC2. ELSE, GO TO A6.]
A5_DESC2
Please describe the second time this happened.

[IF A5a >2, Ask A5_DESC3. ELSE, GO TO A6.]
A5_DESC3
Please describe the third time this happened.

[GO TO A6.]
A5_NO
12

Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions

A6
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by paying a person or an organization
that claimed you owed them money, but you later found out their claim was false or you had already paid it off?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A6=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
Please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A7
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you donated money to
a charity or a charitable cause that later turned out to be fake or that you later suspected was fake?
1=Yes
13

2=No
[IF A7=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
Please describe what happened.

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A8a
Since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you paid money to help a family member or friend
who misled or lied to you about what they were using the money for or did not pay you back as they said they
would?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A8a=1, PROVIDE TWO TEXT BOXES, THIS BEING THE FIRST:
Please describe what happened.

14

(Optional) Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

[ELSE, PROVIDE ONLY ONE TEXT BOX WITH THE BELOW:
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions]

A8b
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money
because you were convinced to help someone who pretended to be a family member, friend, caregiver, or someone
interested in you romantically, but that person turned out to be an imposter?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A8b=1, ASK A8ba. ELSE, GO TO A8b_NO.]
A8ba. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A8b a = 1, ASK A8b b. IF A8b a >1, GO TO A8b _DESC. ELSE, GO TO END.]
A8bb. Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or company?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A8bb=2, ASK A8bc. ELSE, GO TO A8b_DESC.]
A8bc. Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A8bd. Are you still communicating with the person or entity that took your money?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A8b c=1, ASK A8be. ELSE, GO TO A8b _DESC.]
15

A8be. Do you think you will get all of your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t Know
A8b _DESC.
Please describe the first time this happened.

[IF A8ba ≥ 2, ask A8b_DESC2. ELSE, GO TO END.]
A8b_DESC2
Please describe the second time this happened.

[IF A8ba >2, Ask A8b_DESC3. ELSE, GO TO END.]
A8b_DESC3
Please describe the third time this happened.

[GO TO END.]
A8b_NO

16

Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions

END
Thank you for completing the survey. Your completion code is below. Please enter the below number into your HIT
and submit it for payment.
Completion Code
[rand num]
[INSERT Fraud Resources]

17

Attachment 8:
Round 2 Crowdsource Pretesting Findings

V2 Crowdsourcing Findings
January 2017

This round of crowdsourcing involved 75 participants and the addition of new follow-up questions. Table 1
shows the number of “yes” responses that were provided for each main question. For those items that did not
have additional follow-up questions, the number of text responses deemed as fraud are listed in the final
column. The rows that are bolded indicate questions that contain the new follow-up questions. These items
have “N/A” in the final column because later in these findings we compare the fraudulent determination of the
text vs. the responses to the follow-up questions.
Table 1. Number of participants who endorsed each screener question (Bolded items have follow-up
questions)
Question Number
# of Participants who
# of text responses
answered ‘Yes’ *
indicating Fraud
A1a
11
3
A1b
3
N/A
A2a
23
0
A2b
7
N/A
A3a
18
0
A3b
0
0
A3c
12
N/A
A4
2
N/A
A5
0
N/A
A6
4
0
A7
0
0
A8a
10
0
A8b
1
N/A
TOTAL
25
3
*These are not mutually exclusive

Throughout this document, we use the same color-coding scheme that was used in the “multiple responses”
document for V1.

Color/font Scheme:
Fraud
Maybe Fraud
Not Fraud
Repeated incident

1

1 “Non-Fraud” Questions
Below are the three text responses that we believed would be considered fraud, but were reported on a
“non-fraud” question. They call came from A1a.
(A1a. In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you invested
in something that was supposed to give you a high rate of return, but the investment caused you to lose money
or did not provide the return you expected?)

#73
(Fraud) I was giving money to a friend to start a business together band he was squandering it away with
no intentions of starting the business.

#133
(Fraud) I made the mistake of answering a mail advertisement with promise of $50,000 for only $50
invested.

#123
(Fraud) friend had a bunch of merchandise that was supposed to be of good quality and easy to sell. but
the merchandise was not as expected

2

2 Follow-up Questions
This section provides all of the responses for items that triggered follow-up questions. The trigger questions
were A1b, A2b, A3c, A4, A5, and A8b. When providing the data, we did not repeat the follow-up questions each
time, but instead abbreviated them to capture the intent of the question. As a reminder, the questions in their
entirety are shown in the text box below. The wording was not always identical to the wording in A1ba, but the
essence of the follow-up questions is the same. The only wording differences would be minor adjustments to
reflect the trigger question. If a respondent did not receive a question, there will be ‘N/A’ instead of a response.
A1ba. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A1ba = 1, ASK A1bb. IF A1ba >1, GO TO A1b_DESC. ELSE, GO TO A1b_NO]
A1bb. Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or company you
invested with?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A1bb=2, ASK A1bc. ELSE, GO TO A1b_DESC.]
A1bc. Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A1bd. Are you still communicating with the person or entity that took your money?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A1bc=1, ASK A1be. ELSE, GO TO A1b_DESC.]
A1be. Do you think you will get all of your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know

Each response is represented by the participant ID number and these are only participants who answered “Yes”
to the main trigger question. Below the ID number are their responses to the new follow-up questions, followed
by their text description of the incident. Below that is a comparison of how their responses to the follow-up
questions appeared in terms of fraud/maybe fraud/not fraud and how we interpreted their text description.
Ideally, both boxes will have the same result.

3

2.1 A1b
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you invested in
something that was supposed to give you a high rate of return, but the investment turned out to be fake, or you
suspect your money was never invested at all?

#73
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =No
Bc – Tried to get money back? =Yes
Bd – Still communicating? =Yes
Be – Think get money back? =No
DESC:
(Fraud) He took my money to start a trophy business.we were suppose to be opening an award shop.he never
had any intentions only to take my money and run.
(To provide some context, this same respondent, #73, provided this explanation under A1a: “I was giving money
to a friend to start a business together band he was squandering it away with no intentions of starting the
business.”)
Questions: Maybe Fraud*
Text: Fraud

*We say Maybe Fraud because they report still being in communication with the entity.

#133
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =No
Bc – Tried to get money back? =No
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:
(Not Fraud – though A1a text suggests fraudulent activity) I threatened to call the BBB and report them as a
fraud. They asked me to wait 30 days for a refund. I told them if I didn't get it would be calling BBB. I got the
money.
(To provide some context, this same respondent, #133, provided this explanation under A1a: I made the mistake
of answering a mail advertisement with promise of $50,000 for only $50 invested.)
Questions: Not Fraud
Text: Not Fraud
4

#126
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =No
Bc – Tried to get money back? =No
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:
(Maybe Fraud) I paid for a product never received
Questions: Not Fraud
Text: Maybe Fraud

2.2 A2b
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by
paying for any products or services that you never received or that turned out to be a scam?

#100
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =No
Bc – Tried to get money back? =Yes
Bd – Still communicating? =Yes
Be – Think get money back? =Don’t Know
DESC:
(Not Fraud) I funded a Kickstarter campaign, and the company was then sold to a different company that will not
continue the products.
Questions: Maybe Fraud*
Text: Not Fraud

*We say Maybe Fraud because they report still being in communication with the entity.

#42
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =No
Bc – Tried to get money back? =Yes
Bd – Still communicating? =No
Be – Think get money back? =No
DESC:
5

(Fraud) I bought an iPhone case on eBay, but never received it. And even though I paid with PayPal, PayPal
backed up the seller and not me. As a result, I lost my money and the seller never had to send me anything.
Ridiculous.
Questions: Fraud
Text: Fraud

#109
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =No
Bc – Tried to get money back? =Yes
Bd – Still communicating? =No
Be – Think get money back? =No
DESC:
(Maybe Fraud) bad service call from a legitimate contractor; used old used parts and cut off communication
Questions: Fraud
Text: Maybe Fraud

#68
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =Yes
Bc – Tried to get money back? = N/A
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:
(Not Fraud) I ordered a product on Ebay and never recieved the item. I had to file a claim with Ebay and get my
money back through them.
Questions: Not Fraud
Text: Not Fraud

#57
Ba – How many times? =4
Bb – Money back? = N/A
Bc – Tried to get money back? = N/A
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A

6

DESC1:
(Maybe Fraud) I bought cds on ebay and the seller never shipped them
DESC2:
(Maybe Fraud) I bought dvds on ebay and the seller never shipped them
DESC3:
(Maybe Fraud) I bought more cds on ebay and the seller never shipped them

Questions: N/A
Text: Maybe Fraud

#52
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =No
Bc – Tried to get money back? = No
Bd – Still communicating? = Yes
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:
(Maybe Fraud)I paid for a Kickstarter - supposed to deliver in September. It show no signs of being delivered. I
still hold out hope.
Questions: Maybe Fraud*
Text: Maybe Fraud

*We say Maybe Fraud because they report still being in communication with the entity.

#125
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =Yes
Bc – Tried to get money back? = N/A
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:
(Maybe Fraud) I had been scammed for a potential job service and they tried to withdraw funds from my
account, my bank caught it and I had to reopen a new account.
Questions: Not Fraud
7

Text: Maybe Fraud

2.3 A3c
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money
because you were charged for something you did not agree to buy or you were intentionally charged more for
something than the amount that you agreed to pay?

#121
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =Yes
Bc – Tried to get money back? = N/A
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:
(Not Fraud) I got charged to renew a website that I had taken my payment info out of because I did not want it
anymore and they charged me anyway
Questions: Not Fraud
Text: Not Fraud

#42
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =Yes
Bc – Tried to get money back? = N/A
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:
(Not Fraud) My daughter bought gold in an iPad app without my permission and we were charged over $50. I
was lucky though and contacted iTunes and they refunded the money.
Questions: Not Fraud
Text: Not Fraud

#40
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =Yes
Bc – Tried to get money back? = N/A
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
8

Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:
(Not Fraud) My satellite internet company said I would have a free service call because I was having a
reoccurring problem. Then the service man insisted I pay him for the call. The company did refund my money
after a couple of calls.
Questions: Not Fraud
Text: Not Fraud

#109
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =No
Bc – Tried to get money back? =Yes
Bd – Still communicating? = No
Be – Think get money back? = No
DESC:
(Maybe Fraud) I was ordering something online, but I received the wrong item and then some that they also
charged me for and I was so upset I sent a nasty email to them and wanted to be reimbursed. They refused and i
tried to sue them , or at least give them a chance to make it right , but in the end I lost and had to eat it.
Questions: Fraud
Text: Maybe Fraud

#68
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =Yes
Bc – Tried to get money back? = N/A
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:
(Not Fraud) I was doubled charged at a restaurant for a meal I purchased for our family.
Questions: Not Fraud
Text: Not Fraud

#73
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =Yes
9

Bc – Tried to get money back? = N/A
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:
(Not Fraud) My bank account was used to pay for part of that phone (The text from A3a provides some context
to this comment: “My cell phone account was hacked and they got a new iPhone under my account”)
Questions: Not Fraud
Text: Not Fraud

#123
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =Yes
Bc – Tried to get money back? = N/A
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:
(Not Fraud) cable company upgraded my package without consent
Questions: Not Fraud
Text: Not Fraud

#115
Ba – How many times? =9
Bb – Money back? = N/A
Bc – Tried to get money back? = N/A
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC1:
(Not Fraud) I was charged for air in which the machine did not work. I never received those funds back.
DESC2:
(Maybe Fraud) My credit card was over charged for items in which my signed coupon of my receipt indicate the
amount agreed upon where I was charge higher.
DESC3:
(Not Fraud) I registered for service at a rate that was only charged to me once and other consecutive rates
varied and were much higher.
10

Questions: N/A
Text: Not Fraud/Maybe Fraud

#67
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =Yes
Bc – Tried to get money back? = N/A
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:
(Not Fraud) my teenage used my debit card to buy lunch from a tavern near his place of employment. they
charged him $71 instead of $7.10 and then tried to deny. I printed out a copy of my credit union transactions to
force the to give me back the difference. I think someone working there is doing this on purpose, but I check my
bank account daily.
Questions: Not Fraud
Text: Not Fraud

#79
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =No
Bc – Tried to get money back? =Yes
Bd – Still communicating? = No
Be – Think get money back? = No
DESC:
(Fraud) I bought furniture through a company that had a outside source for financing. The furniture store
promised that the payments would be 43 dollars a month with minimal interest. Later on I got a bill in the mail
for 250 dollars. I called the furniture company and they say they didn't agree to the 43 dollars a month claim,
that I would have to take it up with the finance company. I call the finance company and they say I have to pay
the 250 a month and at a higher interest rate and there was nothing I could do to change it. Then I find out that
the furniture company had went out of business and this wasn't the first time this had happened. They had
promised other customers lower payments to get them to buy things.
Questions: Fraud
Text: Maybe Fraud

#88
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =Yes
11

Bc – Tried to get money back? = N/A
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:
(Not Fraud) A company set me up for automatic renewal subscription and charged almost 3 times the original
amount on my credit card. I called to complain and cancel the subscription, then after discussing my concerns
with them they agreed to sell me the same product less than the original subscription price. This company has
since been served with a class action law suit.
Questions: Not Fraud
Text: Not Fraud

#70
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =No
Bc – Tried to get money back? =Yes
Bd – Still communicating? = Yes
Be – Think get money back? = Don’t Know
DESC:
(Maybe Fraud) Was inappropriately assessed a charge on my account
Questions: Maybe Fraud*
Text: Maybe Fraud

*We say Maybe Fraud because they report still being in communication with the entity.

2.4 A4
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], were you tricked into
paying for a job, business opportunity, or another way to earn money that did not exist, was a scam, or turned
out to be illegal?

#133
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =Yes
Bc – Tried to get money back? = N/A
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:

12

(Not Fraud) Didn't know I was helping by giving money to a chop shop.
Questions: Not Fraud
Text: Not Fraud

#125
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =Yes
Bc – Tried to get money back? = N/A
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:
(Not Fraud) I was tricked by a job posting and phone call, but I was able to recover my account safety.
Questions: Not Fraud
Text: Not Fraud

2.5 A8b
In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money
because you were convinced to help someone who pretended to be a family member, friend, caregiver, or
someone interested in you romantically, but that person turned out to be an imposter?

#133
Ba – How many times? =1
Bb – Money back? =Yes
Bc – Tried to get money back? = N/A
Bd – Still communicating? = N/A
Be – Think get money back? = N/A
DESC:
[NO TEXT PROVIDED]
Questions: Not Fraud
Text: N/A

13

Attachment 9:
Round 3 Crowdsource Cognitive Testing Protocol

NCVS Supplemental Fraud Survey (SFS)
Cognitive Testing Protocol V3 for Crowdsourcing–January 2017
INFORMED CONSENT
[INSERT INFORMED CONSENT]
[If INFORMED CONSENT=NO, end session].
INTRODUCTION
The survey you are about to take is not a typical survey. It is actually a survey where we want your
feedback about the survey questions.
Next to each question there will be a box for you to add comments about the question, including any
difficulty understanding specific terms or recommendations for improvements.
There are also some questions where we may ask you to provide more information.
We want your honest feedback as your comments and recommendations will be used to improve the
survey questions in the future. We will present the survey questions to you in black font and our
questions about the survey will be in blue font.
INTRO
These next questions refer to experiences in which someone convinced you to pay, invest, or donate
money or your personal time, by tricking or lying to you, hiding information, or promising you something
that you never received.
Fraud Screening Questions
A1. In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you
invested money with a person or company that tricked you or lied to you about what you would
receive in return?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A1=1, ASK A1a. ELSE, GO TO A1_NO.]
A1a. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A1a = 1, ASK A1b. IF A1a >1, GO TO A1_DESC. ELSE, GO TO A1_NO]
A1b. Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or company you invested
with?
1=Yes
2=No
1

[IF A1b=2, ASK A1c. ELSE, GO TO A1_DESC.]
A1c. Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A1d. Are you still communicating with the person or company that took your money?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A1c=1, ASK A1e. ELSE, GO TO A1_DESC.]
A1e. Do you think you will get all of your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
A1_DESC.
Please describe [IF A1a=1 ‘what’ OR A1a>1 ‘the first time this’] happened.

[IF A1a ≥ 2, ask A1_DESC2. ELSE, GO TO A2.]
A1_DESC2
Please describe the second time this happened.

[IF A1ba >2, Ask A1b_DESC3. ELSE, GO TO A2.]
A1_DESC3

2

Please describe the third time this happened.

[GO TO A2.]
A1_NO
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions

A2. [IF 1 = YES, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: “Not including the time(s) you may have already told me
about”] In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE],
have you paid money to a person or company that tricked you or lied to you about what you would
receive in return?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A2=1, ASK A2a. ELSE, GO TO A2_NO.]
A2a. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A2a = 1, ASK A2b. IF A2a >1, GO TO A2_DESC. ELSE, GO TO A2_NO]
A2b. Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or company you paid the
money to?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A2b=2, ASK A2c. ELSE, GO TO A2_DESC.]
A2c. Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3

A2d. Are you still communicating with the person or company that took your money?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A2c=1, ASK A2e. ELSE, GO TO A2_DESC.]
A2e. Do you think you will get all of your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
A2_DESC.
Please describe [IF A2a=1 ‘what’ OR A2a>1 ‘the first time this’] happened.

[IF A2a ≥ 2, ask A2_DESC2. ELSE, GO TO A3.]
A2_DESC2
Please describe the second time this happened.

[IF A2a >2, Ask A2_DESC3. ELSE, GO TO A3.]
A2_DESC3
Please describe the third time this happened.

4

[GO TO A3.]
A2_NO
Comments/Feedback/Wording Suggestions

A3. [IF 1 OR 2 = YES, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: “Not including the time(s) you already told me
about”] In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE],
have you donated or sent money to a person or group that tricked you or lied to you about how the
money would be used?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A3=1, ASK A3a. ELSE, GO TO A3_NO.]
A3a. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A3a = 1, ASK A3b. IF A3a >1, GO TO A3_DESC. ELSE, GO TO A3_NO]
A3b. Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or company you donated or
sent the money to?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A3b=2, ASK A3c. ELSE, GO TO A3_DESC.]
A3c. Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A3d. Are you still communicating with the person or company that took your money?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A3c=1, ASK A3e. ELSE, GO TO A3_DESC.]
A3e. Do you think you will get all of your money back?
5

1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
A3_DESC.
Please describe [IF A3a=1 ‘what’ OR A3a>1 ‘the first time this’] happened.

[IF A3a ≥ 2, ask A3_DESC2. ELSE, GO TO A4.]
A3_DESC2
Please describe the second time this happened.

[IF A3a >2, Ask A3_DESC3. ELSE, GO TO A4.]
A3_DESC3
Please describe the third time this happened.

[GO TO A4]
A3_NO
Comments/Feedback/Wording Suggestions
6

A4. [IF 1 OR 2 OR 3 = YES, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: “Not including the time(s) you already told me
about”] In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], did
you pay money to get a job or get into a business opportunity but were tricked or lied to about how
the money would be used or what you would receive in return?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A4=1, ASK A4a. ELSE, GO TO A4_NO.]
A4a. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A4a = 1, ASK A4b. IF A4a >1, GO TO A4_DESC. ELSE, GO TO A4_NO]
A4b. Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or company offering the job
or business opportunity?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A4b=2, ASK A4c. ELSE, GO TO A4_DESC.]
A4c. Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A4d. Are you still communicating with the person or company that took your money?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A4c=1, ASK A4e. ELSE, GO TO A4_DESC.]
A4e. Do you think you will get all of your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
A4_DESC.

7

Please describe [IF A4a=1 ‘what’ OR A4a>1 ‘the first time this’] happened.

[IF A4a ≥ 2, ask A4_DESC2. ELSE, GO TO A5.]
A4_DESC2
Please describe the second time this happened.

[IF A4a >2, Ask A4_DESC3. ELSE, GO TO A5.]
A4_DESC3
Please describe the third time this happened.

[GO TO A5.]
A4_NO
Comments/Feedback/Wording Suggestions

8

A5. [IF 1 OR 2 OR 3 OR 4 = YES, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: “Not including the time(s) you already
told me about”] In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY
DATE], did you pay money to settle or pay off a debt, but you found out you were being tricked or
lied to and the debt was not real or not yours?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A5=1, ASK A5a. ELSE, GO TO A5_NO.]
A5a. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A5a = 1, ASK A5b. IF A5a >1, GO TO A5_DESC. ELSE, GO TO A5_NO]
A5b. Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or company you paid the
money to?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A5b=2, ASK A5c. ELSE, GO TO A5_DESC.]
A5c. Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A5d. Are you still communicating with the person or company that took your money?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A5c=1, ASK A5e. ELSE, GO TO A5_DESC.]
A5e. Do you think you will get all of your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
A5_DESC.

9

Please describe [IF A5a=1 ‘what’ OR A5a>1 ‘the first time this’] happened.

[IF A5a ≥ 2, ask A5_DESC2. ELSE, GO TO A6.]
A5_DESC2
Please describe the second time this happened.

[IF A5a >2, Ask A5_DESC3. ELSE, GO TO A6.]
A5_DESC3
Please describe the third time this happened.

[GO TO A6.]
A5_NO
Comments/Feedback/Wording suggestions

10

DETAILED QUESTIONS ABOUT MOST RECENT INCIDENT
A6. [IF A1=1 and A1a≥1] You previously stated that you invested money with a person or company that
tricked you or lied to you about what you would receive in return.
[IF A1_DESC AND A1_DESC2 ≠ MISSING:
You reported that:
• [INSERT A1_DESC]
• [INSERT A1_DESC2]
• [IF APPLICABLE: INSERT A1_DESC3]
Please think of one of these [2 OR 3] times you described previously.]
A6a. Did the person promise you would make a lot of money in a short period of time?
1=Yes
2=No
A6b. Were you asked to sell a product or a service in an effort to increase the value of your
investment?
1=Yes
2=No
A6c. Were you asked to get new people to join or invest?
1=Yes
2=No
A7. [IF A2=1 and A2a≥1] You previously stated that you paid money to a person or company that tricked
you or lied to you about what you would receive in return.
[IF A2_DESC AND A2_DESC2 ≠ MISSING:
You reported that:
• [INSERT A2_DESC]
• [INSERT A2_DESC2]
• [IF APPLICABLE: INSERT A2_DESC3]
Please think of one of these [2 OR 3] times you described previously.]
A7a. Did you pay for a product that was fake or that you never received?
1=Yes
2=No
A7b. Did you pay for a service that was worthless, unnecessary, or that you never received?
1=Yes
2=No
A7c. Were you billed by a person or company for something you did not authorize?
1=Yes
11

2=No
A7d. Were you told to pay money up front in order to collect even more money in return?
1=Yes
2=No
A8. [IF A7d=1] You previously stated that you were told to pay money up front in order to collect even
more money in return.
A8a. Were you told to pay money in order to receive lottery winnings?
1=Yes
2=No
A8b. Were you asked to pay taxes or fees that would allow someone in a foreign country to
access a large sum of money they promised to share with you?
1=Yes
2=No
A8c. Were you told to pay money in order to receive a government grant?
1=Yes
2=No
A8d. Were you told to pay money in order to receive an inheritance?
1=Yes
2=No
A8e. Were you told to pay money in order to receive a tax refund from the IRS?
1=Yes
2=No
A8f. Were you told to pay money in order to receive a prize, promotion, or sweepstakes?
1=Yes
2=No
A9.

[IF A3=1 and A3a≥1] You previously stated that you donated or sent money to a person or group
that tricked you or lied to you about how the money would be used.
[IF A3_DESC AND A3_DESC2 ≠ MISSING:
You reported that:
• [INSERT A3_DESC]
• [INSERT A3_DESC2]
• [IF APPLICABLE: INSERT A3_DESC3]
Please think of one of these [2 OR 3] times you described previously.]
A9a. Was the money supposed to be for a group or a cause, or was it for an individual?
1=Group or cause
2=Individual
12

[IF A9a=1, ASK A9b. ELSE, GO TO A9d]
A9b. Was the money being collected in small amounts from many different people, often
called crowdfunding, for a cause that was fake or did not exist?
1=Yes
2=No
A9c. Did the person or group you gave money to claim they belonged to an agency or church
that you later learned was fake or that they did not really belong to?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A9a=2, ASK A9d. ELSE, GO TO A10]
A9d. Did the person pretend to be interested in you romantically in order to get you to give
them money?
1=Yes
2=No
A9e. Did the person claim to be someone who knew you, such as a friend or family member,
but you later learned they were a stranger?
1=Yes
2=No
A10. [IF A4=1 and A4a≥1] You previously stated that you paid money to get a job or into a business
opportunity but were tricked or lied to about how the money would be used or what you would
receive in return.
[IF A4_DESC AND A4_DESC2 ≠ MISSING:
You reported that:
• [INSERT A4_DESC]
• [INSERT A4_DESC2]
• [IF APPLICABLE: INSERT A4_DESC3]
Please think of one of these [2 OR 3] times you described previously.]
A10a. Were you told you could make money by working from home?
1=Yes
2=No
A10b. Was the job supposed to involve working in the federal government?
1=Yes
2=No
A11.

[IF A5=1 and A5a≥1] You previously stated that you were tricked into settling or paying off a
debt that you later learned was not real or not yours.
13

[IF A5_DESC AND A5_DESC2 ≠ MISSING:
You reported that:
• [INSERT A5_DESC]
• [INSERT A5_DESC2]
• [IF APPLICABLE: INSERT A5_DESC3]
Please think of one of these [2 OR 3] times you described previously.]
A11a. Were you told you owed money to the government, such as the IRS?
1=Yes
2=No
A11b. Were you told you owed money to a lender, such as a bank?
1=Yes
2=No
A11c. Were you told you owed money to a business, such as a retail store?
1=Yes
2=No
END
Thank you for completing the survey. Your completion code is below. Please enter the below number
into your HIT and submit it for payment.
Completion Code
[rand num]
[INSERT Fraud Resources]

14

Attachment 10:
Round 3 Crowdsource Pretesting Findings

Supplemental Fraud Survey (SFS) V3 Findings
Overall, it is still hard to compare the quantitative and qualitative responses as we are comparing apples and oranges.
While the qualitative explanations do shed light on the responses, they are limited without interviewer probing to get
more details. We seem to be getting closer at determining Fraud and Not Fraud, but it is unclear where to go with the
Maybe Fraud responses and how to shift those either way. The biggest determining factor in these is whether or not
they are still in contact with the person or entity.
There are notably more “Not Fraud” determinations in the “Text” column than the “Survey” column. This is to be
expected, however, because of the way the survey questions are currently programmed. If you endorse a situation as
having happened in the past 12 months, the only way to be determined as “Not Fraud” is if you have received your
money back. However, in the text portion, we are able to be subjective and see that someone did not get their money
back, but the situation they describe is clearly not fraud. A good example of this is failed investments that are legitimate
investments where no money was returned.
Below are a few things to note when reviewing the tables:
•
•
•
•
•

•

The full specs with all of the questions are located in this document: “V3_Revised_011717_CLEAN.docx”
The “Taxonomy” columns were developed based on answer to the follow-up survey questions (Q6-Q11) and the
taxonomy map previous developed (“V3_Fraud_Taxonomy_Mapping.xlsx”)
>1 = R reported more than 1 incident. They did not get follow-up questions in that case, so there was no
determination on whether or not what they were thinking was fraud.
X = the survey responses resulted in a “not fraud” determination so there is no taxonomy to apply.
Level 3 of the taxonomy is missing for question A1 because we did not have a clear mapping system for it. Those
were the highlighted squares that may be too complex to capture in a survey like this due to only subtle
differences.
The “Situation” column is a very condensed version of the open-ended explanation of the incident. Any and all
of these can be expanded to the full text provided by the respondent if requested.

Color Code
Fraud
Maybe Fraud
Not Fraud
Repeat

A1. In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you invested money with a person or company that tricked
you or lied to you about what you would receive in return?
Survey
Text
ID
Result
Taxonomy
Result
Situation
Level 2
Level 3
50

112

Fraud
Maybe
Fraud
Maybe
Fraud
Maybe
Fraud

104

Not Fraud

28
70

Fraud
Maybe
Fraud

51

Not Fraud

66
91

Consumer
Investment
Consumer
Investment
Consumer
Investment
Consumer
Investment
X
Consumer
Investment
Consumer
Investment
X

7

Fraud

27

>1

Consumer
Investment
Consumer
Investment

96

Fraud

Consumer
Investment

89

Not Fraud
Maybe
Fraud

105
62

Fraud

111
73

Fraud
Maybe
Fraud

77

Fraud

X

X
Consumer
Investment
Consumer
Investment
Consumer
Investment
Consumer
Investment
Consumer
Investment

X

X

FRAUD
MAYBE
FRAUD

Invested in sleazy business
Non-profit R volunteer's for; they were going to make a new agency; didn’t happen; still
trying to recover funds

FRAUD
NOT
FRAUD
NOT
FRAUD
NOT
FRAUD

Pump and dump scheme

FRAUD
NOT
FRAUD
FRAUD
NOT
FRAUD
NOT
FRAUD
NOT
FRAUD
FRAUD
MAYBE
FRAUD

Put money into an investment that has failed
Gave money to a startup
Pay for shipping, charged later in the fine print
Loaned money to a friend for business, friend supposed to get money from another
venture, didn't give money back
Friend said needed to buy minutes, but was scamming for cash. Returned the money.
Invested in business, guy disappeared
Provided 3, short answers telling us nothing (i.e., Invested in stock)
Stock did not produce
Paid money and worked for co., they never sent payment and stopped contact. Got money
back through payment processor
Invested in business, information was short, payments small, when called on it, co. stopped
paying completely
Advertising affiliate, still in contact trying to get money back.

FRAUD
MAYBE
FRAUD

Scam credit card

FRAUD

Invested in game based on his own business, never heard anything

Old friend promises high investment return, R doesn't explain how story ends

A2. [IF 1 = YES, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: “Not including the time(s) you may have already told me about”] In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL
DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you paid money to a person or company that tricked you or lied to you about what you would receive in
return?
Survey
Text
ID
Result
Taxonomy
Result
Situation
Level 2
Level 3
Consumer Products/
services
Consumer Products/
services

Other consumer
products/services fraud
Worthless/non-existent
product

Not Fraud

X

X

Not Fraud

X

X

8

Fraud

115

Fraud

42
51

7
63

Fraud
Maybe
Fraud

65

Not Fraud

27
103

>1
Maybe
Fraud

X

Consumer Products/
services

*Other consumer
products/services fraud

Consumer Products/
services

Other consumer
products/services fraud
*Other consumer
products/services fraud

NOT
FRAUD

AT&T Phone recalled/replaced with lower quality phone.
Bank didn't say how many transactions needed a month.

Other consumer
products/services fraud
*Worthless/non-existent
services AND
Unauthorized billing
*Worthless/non-existent
product AND
Worthless/non-existent
services
Other consumer
products/services fraud

FRAUD

Lent money, expected interest, person disappeared.

NOT
FRAUD

Times they got ripped off in Thailand and Vietnam. (I assume
we want to exclude non-US incidents?)

Fraud

Consumer Products/
services

55

Ordered Vitamins with unapproved charges. Got money back.
Thought fabric on ebay was silver, was black when received,
ebay refunded.

X

109

>1
Maybe
Fraud

Paid for magazine sub., door-to-door salesperson. No magazine

Consumer Products/
services

>1

89

FRAUD
NOT
FRAUD
NOT
FRAUD
REPEAT
(of
FRAUD)
NOT
FRAUD
NOT
FRAUD
NOT
FRAUD
Maybe
Fraud

34

>1

Gave money for fake baby being born

Worthless/non-existent
product AND
Worthless/non-existent
services
Other consumer
products/services fraud

Consumer Products/
services

Consumer Products/
services

6

FRAUD

Consumer Products/
services
Consumer Products/
services
Consumer Products/
services

NOT
FRAUD
NOT
FRAUD

"This is the same situation. Did not get money back"
Gave money for poker tournament, friend said he lost, turned
out he did well. Confronted and got money back.
Retailer did not send ordered item, then did not respond. Credit
Card co. reversed charges
Short, unhelpful responses (i.e., paying down debt)
Paid for 2 tons of asphalt, got a few cold patches of asphalt.

Bought on ebay, didn't like, ebay refunded.
Personal loan with interest higher than expected.

A3. [IF 1 OR 2 = YES, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: “Not including the time(s) you already told me about”] In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A
YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you donated or sent money to a person or group that tricked you or lied to you about how the money would be
used?
Survey
ID
Result
Taxonomy
Text Result
Situation
Level 2
Level 3
Maybe
Relationship/ trust
Other relationship/trust
104
Fraud
Fraud
Charity for 3rd world kids, turned out to be a scam
Maybe
Maybe
Charity Fraud
Other charity fraud
27
Fraud
Fraud
Lent money for startup
Relationship/ trust
Other relationship/trust
109
Fraud
Fraud
Sent money for legal advice but was lied to
57

Maybe
Fraud

Bogus
Charity/Crowdsourcing/
Other Charity

Charity Fraud

Fraud

Online donation for child hunger, turned out to be phony

A4. [IF 1 OR 2 OR 3 = YES, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: “Not including the time(s) you already told me about”] In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL
DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], did you pay money to get a job or get into a business opportunity but were tricked or lied to about how the money
would be used or what you would receive in return?
ID Survey Result
Taxonomy
Text Result
Situation
Level 2
Level 3
7
79

Fraud
Not Fraud

Employment Fraud
X

WAH scam
X

Maybe
Fraud
Not Fraud

Paid for WAH job, information received was garbage, co.
gave runaround.
"MLM mixup"

89

Not Fraud

X

X

Not Fraud

Paid for online business opportunity, never heard back, had
to go through payment center and get money back.

75

Fraud

Employment Fraud

WAH scam

Fraud

Business opportunity online, paid, guy went radio silent,
after 30-day refund period guy replied saying too late.

A5. [IF 1 OR 2 OR 3 OR 4 = YES, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: “Not including the time(s) you already told me about”] In the past 12 months, that is, since
[AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], did you pay money to settle or pay off a debt, but you found out you were being tricked or lied to and
the debt was not real or not yours?
ID
Survey Result
Taxonomy
Text Result
Situation
Level 2
Level 3
63

Fraud

Phantom Debt Collection

Lender Debt Collector
Scam

11

Fraud

Phantom Debt Collection

Other Phantom Debt
Collection

Fraud

Father died in debt, after kid paid, turned out father paid
before dying.

Phantom Debt Collection

Other Phantom Debt
Collection

Repeat (Not
Fraud)

Personal loan I told you about

55

Maybe Fraud

Fraud

Told owed money on car but didn't

Attachment 11:
Version 3 Protocol

V3 Supplemental Fraud Survey (SFS)
Cognitive Testing Protocol–Spring 2017
On behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), I would like to thank you for taking the time
to speak with me today. I greatly appreciate it.
Purpose: The purpose of this interview is to ask you questions about your experiences with
being a victim of fraud. We are hoping to get your feedback and opinions on these questions so
we may improve them.
Procedure: I am going to ask you questions as if I were an interviewer who came to your house
or called you on the phone. I would like you to please answer these questions to the best of
your knowledge and know that there are no right or wrong answers. After some of the survey
questions I may stop and ask you follow-up questions to better understand your answer and the
way you thought about the question. Most of my follow-up questions will ask what you thought
about certain phrases or what you think a question is trying to ask.
As we are going through the survey, please feel free to tell me anything that comes to mind or to
ask me anything you are unclear about. Feel free to think aloud as you are answering these
questions. We want your honest opinions about what you like and dislike and what you do and
don’t understand so we can improve this survey. I also want to remind you that you do not have
to answer any questions you do not want to and you can end the interview at any time. If I ask
you a question you do not want to answer, you can just say “Pass”.
Once you have answered all of my survey questions, I will ask you a few follow-up questions
about your overall thoughts about the survey.
Do you have any questions before we begin?

INTERVIEWERS: MAKE NOTES OF QUESTIONS OR RELEVANT INFORMATION R GIVES WHEN
RESPONDING TO SURVEY QUESTIONS. INCLUDE ANY INFORMATION THAT WILL HELP DESCRIBE
THEIR INCIDENT(S).

1

INTRO
These next questions refer to experiences in which someone convinced you to pay, invest, or donate
money or your personal time, by tricking or lying to you, hiding information, or promising you something
that you never received.
Fraud Screening Questions
A1. In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you
invested money with a person or company that tricked you or lied to you about what you would
receive in return?
1=Yes
2=No
What do you think it means to “invest money with a person or company that tricked you or
lied to you about what you would receive in return?”

[IF A1=1, ASK A1a. ELSE, GO TO A1_NO.]
A1a. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A1a = 1, ASK A1b. IF A1a >1, LOOP THROUGH A1b-A1e FOR EACH INSTANCE, UP TO 3
INSTANCES. FillLOOP=first, second, third]
A1b. [IF A1a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or
company you invested with?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A1b=2, ASK A1c. ELSE, GO TO A1_DESC.]
A1c. [IF A1a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A1d. [IF A1a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Are you still communicating with the person or company that took
your money?
1=Yes
2=No
2

[IF A1c=1, ASK A1e. ELSE, GO TO A1_DESC.]
A1e. [IF A1a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Do you think you will get all of your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
How easy or difficult was it to answer these questions?

Were there any questions here you weren’t sure how to answer?

IF>1: How did you decide the order of the incidences you described? (i.e. How did you choose
which one was first? Second?)

A2. [IF 1 = YES, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: “Not including the time(s) you may have already told me
about”] In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE],
have you paid money to a person or company that tricked you or lied to you about what you would
receive in return?
1=Yes
2=No
What is an example of something that should be counted when thinking about this question?

[IF A2=1, ASK A2a. ELSE, GO TO A2_NO.]
A2a. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A2a = 1, ASK A2b. IF A2a >1, LOOP THROUGH A1b-A1e FOR EACH INSTANCE, UP TO 3
INSTANCES. FillLOOP=first, second, third]
3

A2b. [IF A2a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or
company you paid the money to?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A2b=2, ASK A2c. ELSE, GO TO A2_DESC.]
A2c. [IF A2a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A2d. [IF A2a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Are you still communicating with the person or company that took
your money?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A2c=1, ASK A2e. ELSE, GO TO A2_DESC.]
A2e. [IF A2a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Do you think you will get all of your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
How easy or difficult was it to answer these questions?

Were there any questions here you weren’t sure how to answer?

IF>1: How did you decide the order of the incidences you described ? (i.e. How did you choose
which one was first? Second?)
A3. [IF 1 OR 2 = YES, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: “Not including the time(s) you already told me
about”] In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE],
4

have you donated or sent money to a person or group that tricked you or lied to you about how the
money would be used?
1=Yes
2=No
What do you think we are asking about in this question?

[IF A3=1, ASK A3a. ELSE, GO TO A3_NO.]
A3a. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A3a = 1, ASK A3b. IF A3a >1, LOOP THROUGH A1b-A1e FOR EACH INSTANCE, UP TO 3
INSTANCES. FillLOOP=first, second, third]
A3b. [IF A3a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or
company you donated or sent the money to?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A3b=2, ASK A3c. ELSE, GO TO A3_DESC.]
A3c. [IF A3a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A3d. [IF A3a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Are you still communicating with the person or company that took
your money?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A3c=1, ASK A3e. ELSE, GO TO A3_DESC.]
A3e. [IF A3a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Do you think you will get all of your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
5

How easy or difficult was it to answer these questions?

Were there any questions here you weren’t sure how to answer?

IF>1: How did you decide the order of the incidences you described ? (i.e. How did you choose
which one was first? Second?)

A4. [IF 1 OR 2 OR 3 = YES, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: “Not including the time(s) you already told me
about”] In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], did
you pay money to get a job or get into a business opportunity but were tricked or lied to about how
the money would be used or what you would receive in return?
1=Yes
2=No
What types of things did this question make you think about?
What is an example of this?
[IF A4=1, ASK A4a. ELSE, GO TO A4_NO.]
A4a. How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A4a = 1, ASK A4b. IF A4a >1, LOOP THROUGH A1b-A1e FOR EACH INSTANCE, UP TO 3
INSTANCES. FillLOOP=first, second, third]
A4b. [IF A4a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or
company offering the job or business opportunity?
1=Yes
2=No
6

[IF A4b=2, ASK A4c. ELSE, GO TO A4_DESC.]
A4c. [IF A4a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A4d. [IF A4a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Are you still communicating with the person or company that took
your money?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A4c=1, ASK A4e. ELSE, GO TO A4_DESC.]
A4e. [IF A4a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Do you think you will get all of your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
How easy or difficult was it to answer these questions?

Were there any questions here you weren’t sure how to answer?

IF>1: How did you decide the order of the incidences you described? (i.e. How did you choose
which one was first? Second?)

A5. [IF 1 OR 2 OR 3 OR 4 = YES, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: “Not including the time(s) you already
told me about”] In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY
DATE], did you pay money to settle or pay off a debt, but you found out you were being tricked or
lied to and the debt was not real or not yours?
7

1=Yes
2=No
What do you think we are asking about in this question?

[IF A5=1, ASK A5a. ELSE, GO TO A5_NO.]
A5a. [IF A5a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] How many times has this happened in the past 12 months?
________ [numeric, open text box]
[IF A5a = 1, ASK A5b. IF A5a >1, LOOP THROUGH A1b-A1e FOR EACH INSTANCE, UP TO 3
INSTANCES. FillLOOP=first, second, third]
A5b. [IF A5a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Have you gotten all of your money back from the person or
company you paid the money to?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A5b=2, ASK A5c. ELSE, GO TO A5_DESC.]
A5c. [IF A5a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Have you tried to get your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
A5d. [IF A5a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Are you still communicating with the person or company that took
your money?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A5c=1, ASK A5e. ELSE, GO TO A5_DESC.]
A5e. [IF A5a>1 Thinking about the [LOOP] time this happened in the past 12 months, in the
past 12 months,] Do you think you will get all of your money back?
1=Yes
2=No
3=Don’t know
How easy or difficult was it to answer these questions?

8

Were there any questions here you weren’t sure how to answer?

IF>1: How did you decide the order of the incidences you described? (i.e. How did you choose
which one was first? Second?)

DETAILED QUESTIONS ABOUT MOST RECENT INCIDENT
A6. [IF A1=1 and A1a≥1] You previously stated that you invested money with a person or company that
tricked you or lied to you about what you would receive in return.
[IF A1a>1: Please think of the most recent time this happened in the past 12 months, in the past 12
months.]
A6a. Did the person promise you would make a lot of money in a short period of time?
1=Yes
2=No
A6b. Were you asked to sell a product or a service in an effort to increase the value of your
investment?
1=Yes
2=No
A6c. Were you asked to get new people to join or invest?
1=Yes
2=No
NOTE: WE EXPECT RESPONDENTS WILL ONLY SAY YES TO 1 OF THESE. IF THEY CHOOSE MORE
THAN 1, PROBE ON HOW THEY CAME UP WITH MORE THAN 1 YES.
Did you have any difficulty answering these questions?

9

A7. [IF A2=1 and A2a≥1] You previously stated that you paid money to a person or company that tricked
you or lied to you about what you would receive in return.
[IF A2a>1: Please think of the most recent time this happened in the past 12 months.]
A7a. Did you pay for a product that was fake or that you never received?
1=Yes
2=No
A7b. Did you pay for a service that was worthless, unnecessary, or that you never received?
1=Yes
2=No
A7c. Were you billed by a person or company for something you did not authorize?
1=Yes
2=No
A7d. Were you told to pay money up front in order to collect even more money in return?
1=Yes
2=No
NOTE: WE EXPECT RESPONDENTS WILL ONLY SAY YES TO 1 OF THESE. IF THEY CHOOSE MORE
THAN 1, PROBE ON HOW THEY CAME UP WITH MORE THAN 1 YES.
What types of situations do you think we’re talking about when we ask if you were told to
“pay money up front in order to collect even more money in return?”

A8. [IF A7d=1] You previously stated that you were told to pay money up front in order to collect even
more money in return.
A8a. Were you told to pay money in order to receive lottery winnings?
1=Yes
2=No
A8b. Were you asked to pay taxes or fees that would allow someone in a foreign country to
access a large sum of money they promised to share with you?
1=Yes
2=No
A8c. Were you told to pay money in order to receive a government grant?
1=Yes
2=No
A8d. Were you told to pay money in order to receive an inheritance?
1=Yes
2=No
10

A8e. Were you told to pay money in order to receive a tax refund from the IRS?
1=Yes
2=No
A8f. Were you told to pay money in order to receive a prize, promotion, or sweepstakes?
1=Yes
2=No
NOTE: WE EXPECT RESPONDENTS WILL ONLY SAY YES TO 1 OF THESE. IF THEY CHOOSE MORE
THAN 1, PROBE ON HOW THEY CAME UP WITH MORE THAN 1 YES.
Which, if any, of the situations listed here had you not heard of before or did you think was
confusing?

A9.

[IF A3=1 and A3a≥1] You previously stated that you donated or sent money to a person or group
that tricked you or lied to you about how the money would be used.
[IF A3a>1: Please think of the most recent time this happened in the past 12 months.]
A9a. Was the money supposed to be for a group or a cause, or was it for an individual?
1=Group or cause
2=Individual
[IF A9a=1, ASK A9b. ELSE, GO TO A9d]
How easy or difficult was it to answer this question?

A9b. Was the money being collected in small amounts from many different people, often
called crowdfunding, for a cause that was fake or did not exist?
1=Yes
2=No
Had you heard the term “crowdfunding” before? In your own words, can you tell me what
that is?

A9c. Did the person or group you gave money to claim they belonged to an agency or church
that you later learned was fake or that they did not really belong to?
1=Yes
2=No
[IF A9a=2, ASK A9d. ELSE, GO TO A10]
11

A9d. Did the person pretend to be interested in you romantically in order to get you to give
them money?
1=Yes
2=No
A9e. Did the person claim to be someone who knew you, such as a friend or family member,
but you later learned they were a stranger?
1=Yes
2=No
NOTE: WE EXPECT RESPONDENTS WILL ONLY SAY YES TO 1 OF THESE. IF THEY CHOOSE MORE
THAN 1, PROBE ON HOW THEY CAME UP WITH MORE THAN 1 YES.
How easy or difficult was it to answer these questions?

Would your answer to this question have been different if we had asked “Did the person claim
to be someone who knew you, such as a friend or family member, but you later learned they
were not whom they claimed to be”?

A10. [IF A4=1 and A4a≥1] You previously stated that you paid money to get a job or into a business
opportunity but were tricked or lied to about how the money would be used or what you would
receive in return.
[IF A4a>1: Please think of the most recent time this happened in the past 12 months.]
A10a. Were you told you could make money by working from home?
1=Yes
2=No
A10b. Was the job supposed to involve working in the federal government?
1=Yes
2=No
NOTE: WE EXPECT RESPONDENTS WILL ONLY SAY YES TO 1 OF THESE. IF THEY CHOOSE MORE
THAN 1, PROBE ON HOW THEY CAME UP WITH MORE THAN 1 YES.
How easy or difficult was it to answer these questions?

12

A11.

[IF A5=1 and A5a≥1] You previously stated that you were tricked into settling or paying off a
debt that you later learned was not real or not yours.
[IF A5a>1: Please think of the most recent time this happened in the past 12 months.]
A11a. Were you told you owed money to the government, such as the IRS?
1=Yes
2=No
A11b. Were you told you owed money to a lender, such as a bank?
1=Yes
2=No

A11c. Were you told you owed money to a business, such as a retail store?
1=Yes
2=No
NOTE: WE EXPECT RESPONDENTS WILL ONLY SAY YES TO 1 OF THESE. IF THEY CHOOSE MORE
THAN 1, PROBE ON HOW THEY CAME UP WITH MORE THAN 1 YES.
These questions ask about money being owed to the government, such as the IRS; a lender,
such as a bank; or a business, such as a retail store. Do you think most people will understand
how these places or things are different?

13

Prize or grant fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A PRIZE OR GRANT FRAUD VICTIM
BY REPORTING –
•

A2a>0 AND A2b=2 AND A7d=1 (NUMBER OF TIMES BEHAVIOR IS ENDORSED IS GREATER THAN
0, DID NOT GET MONEY BACK AND WERE TOLD TO PAY MONEY UP FRONT TO GET MORE
MONEY IN RETURN)

S1B1intro. You indicated that you paid money to receive a prize, grant, inheritance, lottery winning, or
other large sum of money, but never got what you were promised. I would like to ask you a few
additional questions related to that experience. When answering these questions, please only think
about 1, the most recent time you had> that experience.
NOTE IF ANY CONFUSION ON WHAT THEY PREVIOUSLY ENDORSED

S1B1. Which one of the following best describes the money or prize you were supposed to receive? Was
it….
1=Winnings from a lottery,
2=Winnings from a sweepstakes, raffle or promotion,
3=An unclaimed inheritance,
4=A grant or loan from the government,
5=A tax refund,
6=Or something else?
S1B1o. How would you best describe the money or prize you were supposed to receive?
________________________
How easy or difficult was it to pick an answer from the list? (PROBE ON DIFFICULTIES:
MEMORY, TOO SIMILAR, TOO MANY, NOT ENOUGH)

S1B2. Were you told that you would have to pay a deposit, taxes, or a fee in order to get the money or
prize you were supposed to receive?
1=YES
2=NO
14

S1B3. How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company? (ENTER IN WHOLE
DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
S1B3 – Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you gave this person or
company?

S1B4. Did you get any of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal
action?
1=YES (ASK S1B5)
2=NO (SKIP TO S1B6)

S1B5. How much money did you get back? (ENTER IN WHOLE DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
S1B5 – Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you got back?

S1B6. [If S1B>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you paid
money to receive a large sum of money but never got what you were promised], did you report the
incident to a law enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff or a federal law enforcement
agency?
1=YES (SKIP TO S1B8)
2=NO (ASK S1B7)
What groups or people would you include in your thinking when we ask if you reported this to
“a law enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement
agency”?

15

S1B7. Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
2=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
4=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
5=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
9=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
10=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
13=OTHER
Are there any other reason(s) you did not report what happened to law enforcement?

S1B8. Did you tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S1B8a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8b. A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
16

S1B8c. Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8d. Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8e. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8f. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8g. Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8h. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8i. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8j. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8k. Someone else?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8ko. [IF S1B8k = YES] Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
Were there any groups here you had not heard of before or weren’t sure who they were?
17

S1B9. The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. These questions are
about how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
[If S1B>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you paid money to
receive a large sum of money but never got what you were promised], how distressing was this
incident? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing,
2=Mildly distressing,
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?

S1B10. Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble
with your boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
INTERVIEWER: IF NO JOB OR SCHOOL, NOTE AND MOVE ON.
What kinds of people did you include when thinking about this question? What do you think
“peers” means as it was used in this question? (REREAD QUESTION IF NEEDED)

S1B11. Did this [IF S1a>1 most recent] incident lead you to have significant problems with family
members or friends, including getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you
could trust them as much, or not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO

18

S1B12. As a direct result of this incident, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or
pay your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
What did you think about when answering this question?

S1B13. Thinking about this [IF S1a>1 most recent] incident when you paid money to receive a large sum
of money but never got what you were promised, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW/NOT SURE
In your own words, what do you think it means to be a victim of fraud?

How did you come up with your answer to this question?

S1B14. In your own words, please briefly describe the most recent time that you paid money to receive
a large sum of money but never got what you were promised.

19

IF HAD ANY ‘MOST RECENT’ QUESTIONS – How easy or difficult was it for you to think only
about the most recent time this happened in the past 12 months?

20

Phantom debt collection fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A PHANTOM DEBT COLLECTION
FRAUD VICTIM BY REPORTING –
•

A5a>0 AND A5b=2 (ENDORSED BEHAVIOR AND DID NOT GET MONEY BACK)

S2B1intro. “You indicated that you paid money to settle or pay off a debt but found out you were being
tricked or lied to. I would like to ask you a few additional questions related to that experience. When
answering these questions, please only think about 1, the most recent time you had> that
experience.”
NOTE IF ANY CONFUSION ON WHAT THEY PREVIOUSLY ENDORSED
S2B1. Which one of the following best describes the type of debt you were told you owed. Was it debt
due to…
1=Unpaid taxes
2=An unpaid loan
3=An unpaid fine or ticket
4=Credit card charges
5=Health care or medical care services
6=Other
S2B1o. How would you describe the type of debt you were told you owed? ______________________
How easy or difficult was it to pick an answer from the list? (PROBE ON DIFFICULTIES:
MEMORY, TOO SIMILAR, TOO MANY, NOT ENOUGH)

S2B2. How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company? (ENTER IN WHOLE
DOLLARS.)
$[________________________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you gave this person or company?

21

S2B3. Did you get any of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal
action?
1=YES (ASK S2B4)
2=NO (SKIP TO S2B5)

S2B4. How much money did you get back? (ENTER IN WHOLE DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you got back?

S2B5. [If S2a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you paid
money to settle or pay off a debt but found out you were being tricked or lied to], did you report the
incident to a law enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff or a federal law enforcement
agency?
1=YES (SKIP TO S2B7)
2=NO (ASK S2B6)
What groups or people would you include when we ask if you reported this to “a law
enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement agency?

S2B6. Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
2=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/ WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
4=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
22

5=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
9=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
10=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
13=OTHER
Are there any other reason(s) you did not report what happened to law enforcement?

S2B7. Did you tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S2B7a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7b. A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7c. Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7d. Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7e. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
23

S2B7f. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7g. Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7h. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7i. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7j. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7k. Someone else?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B8ko. [IF S2B8k = YES] Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
Were there any groups here you had not heard of before or weren’t sure who they were?
S2B8. The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. These questions are
about how the incident made you feel, and how it impacted you financially.
[If S2a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you paid money to
settle or pay off a debt but found out you were being tricked or lied to], how distressing was this
incident? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing,
2=Mildly distressing,
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?

24

S2B9. Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble
with your boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
INTERVIEWER: IF NO JOB OR SCHOOL, NOTE AND MOVE ON.
What kinds of people did you think about in this question? What do you think “peers” means
as it was used in this question? (REREAD QUESTION IF NEEDED)

S2B10. Did this [IF S2a>1 most recent] incident lead you to have significant problems with family
members or friends, including getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you
could trust them as much, or not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO

S2B11. As a direct result of this incident, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or
pay your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
What did you think about when answering this question?

S2B12. Thinking about this [IF S2a>1 most recent] incident when you paid money to settle or pay off a
debt, but you found out you were being tricked or lied to, do you think you were a victim of fraud?

25

1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW/NOT SURE
In your own words, what do you think it means to be a victim of fraud?

How did you come up with your answer to this question?

S2B13. In your own words, please briefly describe the most recent time that you paid money to settle or
pay off a debt but found out you were being tricked or lied to.

IF HAD ANY ‘MOST RECENT’ QUESTIONS – How easy or difficult was it for you to think only
about the most recent time this happened in the past 12 months?

26

Charity fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A CHARITY FRAUD VICTIM BY
REPORTING –
•

A3a>0 and A3b=2 AND A9a=1 (ENDORSED BEHAVIOR AND DID NOT GET MONEY BACK AND
INDICATED IT WAS FOR A GROUP OR CAUSE)

S3B1intro. “You indicated that you donated money to a charity or a charitable cause that later turned
out to be fake or you later suspected was fake. I would like to ask you a few additional questions related
to that experience. When answering these questions, please only think 1, the most recent time
you had that experience.”
NOTE IF ANY CONFUSION ON WHAT THEY PREVIOUSLY ENDORSED
S3B1. You stated that in the past 12 months you donated money to a charity or a charitable cause that
turned out to be fake or that you suspected was fake. Was the donation supposed to be going to an
organization?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
What do you think we’re talking about in this question when we say “an organization?”

S3B2. Did you make this donation through a crowdfunding website like GoFundMe or Kickstarter?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
Have you heard the term “crowdfunding” before?

Have you heard of GoFundMe or Kickstarter?

27

S3B3. How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company? (ENTER IN WHOLE
DOLLARS.)
$[________________________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you gave this person or company?

S3B4. Did you get any of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal
action?
1=YES (ASK S3B5)
2=NO (SKIP TO S3B6)

S3B5. How much money did you get back? (ENTER IN WHOLE DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you got back?

S3B6. [If S3a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you donated
money to a charity or a charitable cause that later turned out to be fake or you later suspected was
fake], did you report the incident to a law enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff or a
federal law enforcement agency?
1=YES (SKIP TO S3B8)
2=NO (ASK S3B7)
What groups or people would you include when we ask if you reported this to “a law
enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement agency?

28

S3B7. Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
2=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/ WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
4=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
5=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
9=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
10=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
13=OTHER
Are there any other reason(s) you did not report what happened to law enforcement?

S3B8. Did you tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S3B8a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8b. A lawyer?
1=YES
29

2=NO
S3B8c. Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8d. Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8e. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8f. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8g. Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8h. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8i. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8j. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8k. Someone else?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8ko. [IF S3B8k = YES] Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
30

Were there any groups here you had not heard of before or weren’t sure who they were?

S3B9. The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. These questions are
about how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
[If S3a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you donated
money to a charity or a charitable cause that later turned out to be fake or you later suspected was
fake], how distressing was this incident? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing
2=Mildly distressing
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?

S3B10. Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble
with your boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
INTERVIEWER: IF NO JOB OR SCHOOL, NOTE AND MOVE ON.
What kinds of people did you think about in this question? What do you think “peers” means
as it was used in this question? (REREAD QUESTION IF NEEDED)

S3B11. Did this [S3a>1 most recent] incident lead you to have significant problems with family members
or friends, including getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you could
trust them as much, or not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO

S3B12. As a direct result of this incident, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or
pay your bills? Would you say…

31

1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?

What did you think about when answering this question?

S3B13. Thinking about this [IF S3a>1 most recent] incident when you donated money to a charity or a
charitable cause that later turned out to be fake, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW/NOT SURE
In your own words, what do you think it means to be a victim of fraud?

How did you come up with your answer to this question?

S3B14. In your own words, please briefly describe the most recent time that you donated money to a
charity or a charitable cause that later turned out to be fake or you later suspected was fake.

32

IF HAD ANY ‘MOST RECENT’ QUESTIONS – How easy or difficult was it for you to think only
about the most recent time this happened in the past 12 months?

33

Employment fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS AN EMPLOYMENT FRAUD VICTIM
BY REPORTING –
•

A4a>1 AND A4b=2 (ENDORSED BEHAVIOR AND DID NOT GET MONEY BACK)

S4B1intro. “You indicated that you paid money to get a job or get into a business opportunity but were
tricked or lied to about how the money would be used or what you would receive in return. I would like
to ask you a few additional questions related to that experience. When answering these questions,
please only think about 1, the most recent time you had> that experience.”
NOTE IF ANY CONFUSION ON WHAT THEY PREVIOUSLY ENDORSED
S4B1. Did the money you lost go to someone who…
Was supposed to be helping you start your own business?
1=YES (SKIP TO S4B4)
2=NO (ASK S4B2)

S4B2. (Did the money you lost go to someone who…)
Promised to help you make money while you worked from home?
1=YES (SKIP TO S4B4)
2=NO (ASK S4B3)

S4B3. (Did the money you lost go to someone who…)
Promised to help you get a government job?
1=YES
2=NO

S4B4. How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company? (ENTER IN WHOLE
DOLLARS.)
$[________________________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you gave this person or company?
34

S4B5. Did you get any of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal
action?
1=YES (ASK S4B6)
2=NO (SKIP TO S4B7)

S4B6. How much money did you get back? (ENTER IN WHOLE DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you got back?

S4B7. [If S4b>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you paid
money to get a job or get into a business opportunity but were tricked or lied to about how the money
would be used or what you would receive in return], did you report the incident to a law enforcement
agency, such as the local police, a sheriff or a federal law enforcement agency?
1=YES (SKIP TO S4B9)
2=NO (ASK S4B8)
What groups or people would you include when we ask if you reported this to “a law
enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement agency?

S4B8. Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
2=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/ WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
35

3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
4=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
5=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
9=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
10=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
13=OTHER
Are there any other reason(s) you did not report what happened to law enforcement?

S4B9. Did you tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S4B9a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9b. A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9c. Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9d. Company’s customer service?
36

1=YES
2=NO
S4B9e. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9f. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9g. Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9h. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9i. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9j. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9k. Someone else?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B8ko. [IF S4B8k = YES] Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
Were there any groups here you had not heard of before or weren’t sure who they were?

37

S4B10. The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. My next questions
are about how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
[If S4b>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you paid money to
get a job or get into a business opportunity but were tricked or lied to about how the money would be
used or what you would receive in return], how distressing was this incident? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing
2=Mildly distressing
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?

S4B11. Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble
with your boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
INTERVIEWER: IF NO JOB OR SCHOOL, NOTE AND MOVE ON.
What kinds of people did you think about in this question? What do you think “peers” means
as it was used in this question? (REREAD QUESTION IF NEEDED)

S4B12. Did this [IF S4a>1 most recent] incident lead you to have significant problems with family
members or friends, including getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you
could trust them as much, or not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO

S4B13. As a direct result of this incident, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or
pay your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
38

2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
What did you think about when answering this question?

S4B14. Thinking about this [IF S4a>1 most recent] incident when you paid money to get into a business
opportunity but were tricked or lied to, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW/NOT SURE
In your own words, what do you think it means to be a victim of fraud?

How did you come up with your answer to this question?

S4B15. In your own words, please briefly describe the most recent time that you paid money to get a job
or get into a business opportunity but were tricked or lied to about how the money would be used or
what you would receive in return.

39

IF HAD ANY ‘MOST RECENT’ QUESTIONS – How easy or difficult was it for you to think only
about the most recent time this happened in the past 12 months?

Consumer investment fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A CONSUMER INVESTMENT FRAUD
VICTIM BY REPORTING –
•

A5a>1 and A5b=2 (ENDORSED BEHAVIOR AND DID NOT GET MONEY BACK)

S5B1intro. “You indicated that you invested money with a person or company that tricked you or lied to
you, and you believe the investment was made up or your money was never invested at all. I would like
to ask you a few additional questions related to that experience. When answering these questions,
please only think about 1, the most recent time you had> that experience.”
NOTE IF ANY CONFUSION ON WHAT THEY PREVIOUSLY ENDORSED
S5B1. Which one of the following best describes the type of investment you thought you were making?
Were you investing in………
1=A low valued stock, also called a ‘penny stock,
2=Shares of a company prior to the company going public,
3=Real estate or a real estate investment trust,
4=A company that explores for new oil or gas,
5=An alternative energy company,
6=A government or corporate bond or promissory note ,
7=A foreign currency,
8=Precious metals,
9=Other products that could be traded, or
10=Something else?
11=Other Specify ________________________
88=DON’T KNOW
98=REFUSED

40

How easy or difficult was it to pick an answer from the list? (PROBE ON DIFFICULTIES:
MEMORY, TOO SIMILAR, TOO MANY, NOT ENOUGH)

41

S5B2. How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company? (ENTER IN WHOLE
DOLLARS.)
$[________________________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you gave this person or company?

S5B3. Did you get any of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal
action?
1=YES (ASK S5B4)
2=NO (SKIP TO S5B5)

S5B4. How much money did you get back? (ENTER IN WHOLE DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you got back?

S5B5. [If S5a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time you invested
money with a person or company that tricked you or lied to you and you believe the investment was
made up or your money was never invested at all], did you report the incident to a law enforcement
agency, such as the local police, a sheriff or a federal law enforcement agency?
1=YES (SKIP TO S5B7)
2=NO (ASK S5B6)
What groups or people would you include when we ask if you reported this to “a law
enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement agency?

42

S5B6. Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
2=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/ WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
4=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
5=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
9=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
10=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
13=OTHER
Are there any other reason(s) you did not report what happened to law enforcement?

S5B7. Did you tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S5B7a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7b. A lawyer?
1=YES
43

2=NO
S5B7c. Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7d. Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7e. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7f. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7g. Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7h. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7i. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7j. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7k. Someone else?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B8ko. [IF S5B8k = YES] Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
44

Were there any groups here you had not heard of before or weren’t sure who they were?

S5B8. The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. My next questions are
about how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
[If S5a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time you invested money
with a person or company that tricked you or lied to you and you believe the investment was made up
or your money was never invested at all], how distressing was this incident? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing
2=Mildly distressing
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?

S5B9. Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble
with your boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
INTERVIEWER: IF NO JOB OR SCHOOL, NOTE AND MOVE ON.
What kinds of people did you think about in this question? What do you think “peers” means
as it was used in this question? (REREAD QUESTION IF NEEDED)

S5B10. Did this [IF S5a>1 most recent] incident lead you to have significant problems with family
members or friends, including getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you
could trust them as much, or not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO

S5B11. As a direct result of this incident, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or
pay your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,

45

2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?

What did you think about when answering this question?

S5B12. Thinking about this [IF S5a>1 most recent] incident when you invested money with a person or
company that tricked you or lied to you about what you would receive in return, do you think you were
a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW/NOT SURE
In your own words, what do you think it means to be a victim of fraud?

How did you come up with your answer to this question?

S5B13. In your own words, please briefly describe the most recent time you invested money with a
person or company that tricked you or lied to you and you believe the investment was made up or your
money was never invested at all.

46

IF HAD ANY ‘MOST RECENT’ QUESTIONS – How easy or difficult was it for you to think only
about the most recent time this happened in the past 12 months?

Consumer products or services fraud (excluding unauthorized billing) – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A CONSUMER PRODUCTS OR
SERVICES FRAUD VICTIM BY REPORTING –
•

A1a>0 and A1b=2 (ENDORSED BEHAVIOR AND DID NOT GET MONEY BACK)

S6B1intro. You indicated that you lost money by paying for a product or service that you never received
or turned out to be a scam. I would like to ask you a few additional questions related to that experience.
When answering these questions, please only think about 1, the most recent time you had> that
experience.
NOTE IF ANY CONFUSION ON WHAT THEY PREVIOUSLY ENDORSED
S6B2. Would you say you were trying to purchase a product or a service?
1=PRODUCT (SKIP TO S6B3)
2=SERVICE (SKIP TO S6B5)
3=DON'T KNOW (SKIP TO S6B6)

S6B3. Which one of the following best describes the type of product you were trying to purchase? Was
it…
1=A weight loss product or health supplement,
2=A medical device,
3=A collectible or some type of memorabilia,
4=Computer software,
5=Gemstones or precious metals,
6=Automobile parts, or
7=Something else?
8=OTHER SPECIFY_______________________

47

How easy or difficult was it to pick an answer from the list? (PROBE ON DIFFICULTIES:
MEMORY, TOO SIMILAR, TOO MANY, NOT ENOUGH)

S6B4. Regardless of whether it was worthless or a scam, did you receive an actual product?
1=YES, RECEIVED
2=NEVER RECEIVED AT ALL
3=DON'T KNOW
[SKIP TO S6B6]
What do you think we are asking in this question?

S6B5. Which one of the following best describes the type of service you were trying to purchase? Was
it…….
1=An insurance service,
2=Computer virus removal or repair services,
3=Home or vehicle repair services,
4=Internet or phone services,
5=Website hosting or web domain services,
6=A service to prevent losses from fraud or identity theft,
7=A service to help you manage or pay off a debt,
8=A service to remove negative information from your credit report,
9=A home, apartment, or vacation rental service,
10=A service to help grow your business,
11=An adoption service, or
12=Something else?
SPECIFY____________________
48

How easy or difficult was it to pick an answer from the list? (PROBE ON DIFFICULTIES:
MEMORY, TOO SIMILAR, TOO MANY, NOT ENOUGH)

S6B6. How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company? (ENTER IN WHOLE
DOLLARS.)
$[________________________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you gave this person or company?

S6B7. Did you get any of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal
action?
1=YES (ASK S6B8)
2=NO (SKIP TO S6B9)

S6B8. How much money did you get back? (ENTER IN WHOLE DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you got back?

S6B9. [If S6a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time you lost money
by paying for a product or service that you never received or turned out to be a scam], did you report
the incident to a law enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff or a federal law
enforcement agency?
1=YES (SKIP TO S6B11)
2=NO (ASK S6B10)
What groups or people would you include when we ask if you reported this to “a law
enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement agency?
49

S6B10. Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
2=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/ WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
4=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
5=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
9=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
10=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
13=OTHER
Are there any other reason(s) you did not report what happened to law enforcement?

S6B11. Did you tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S6B11a. Family or friends?
50

1=YES
2=NO
S6B11b. A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11c. Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11d. Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11e. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11f. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11g. Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11h. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11i. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11j. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
1=YES
2=NO
51

S6B11k. Someone else?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B8ko. [IF S6B8k = YES] Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
Were there any groups here you had not heard of before or weren’t sure who they
were?

S6B12. The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. My next questions
are about how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
[If S6a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time you lost money by
paying for a product or service that you never received or turned out to be a scam], how distressing was
this incident? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing,
2=Mildly distressing,
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?

S6B13. Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble
with your boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
INTERVIEWER: IF NO JOB OR SCHOOL, NOTE AND MOVE ON.
What kinds of people did you think about in this question? What do you think “peers”
means as it was used in this question? (REREAD QUESTION IF NEEDED)

S6B14. Did this [IF S6a>1 most recent] incident lead you to have significant problems with family
members or friends, including getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you
could trust them as much, or not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO

52

S6B15. As a direct result of this incident, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or
pay your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
What did you think about when answering this question?
S6B16. Thinking about this [IF S6a>1 most recent] incident when you lost money by paying for a product
or service that you never received or that turned out to be a scam, do you think you were a victim of
fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW/NOT SURE
In your own words, what do you think it means to be a victim of fraud?

How did you come up with your answer to this question?

S6B17. In your own words, please briefly describe the most recent time you lost money by paying for
any products or services that you never received or turned out to be a scam.

53

IF HAD ANY ‘MOST RECENT’ QUESTIONS – How easy or difficult was it for you to think only about the
most recent time this happened in the past 12 months?

Relationship/trust fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A FRAUD VICTIM BY REPORTING –
•

A3a>0 and A3b=2 AND A9a=2 (ENDORSED BEHAVIOR AND DID NOT GET MONEY BACK AND
INDICATED IT WAS FOR AN INDIVIDUAL)

S7B1intro. You indicated that you donated or sent money to someone who pretended to be a family
member, friend, caregiver, or someone interested in you romantically, but that person was not who
they claimed to be. I would like to ask you a few additional questions related to that experience. When
answering these questions, please only think about 1, the most recent time you had> that
experience.
NOTE IF ANY CONFUSION ON WHAT THEY PREVIOUSLY ENDORSED
S7B1. You stated that in the past 12 months, you lost money paying to help someone who pretended to
be someone they weren’t. Was this person someone who seemed to have a romantic interest in you?
1=YES (SKIP TO S7B3)
2=NO (ASK S7B2)
What do you think we mean when we ask if this was someone who had a “romantic
interest” in you?

S7B2. Did the person pretend to be a family member?
1=YES
2=NO
54

S7B3. Which one of the following best describes how were you first contacted by this person?
1=Through a chat room,
2=Through a dating app or website,
3=Through social media (facebook, twitter, youtube),
4=Through another website,
5=In an email,
6=By a text message or phone call,
7=A mutual friend or someone claiming to be a mutual friend, or
8=Some other way?
How easy or difficult was it to pick an answer from the list? (PROBE ON DIFFICULTIES:
MEMORY, TOO SIMILAR, TOO MANY, NOT ENOUGH)

S7B4. How did you provide him or her with money? For example, did you wire them money, send it
through the mail, make a bank transfer (etc.)? (MARK ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=PAID ONLINE
2=PAYMENT SENT THROUGH THE MAIL
3=PAID OVER THE TELEPHONE
4=BANK TRANSFER
5=PAID THE PERSON FACE-TO-FACE
6=WIRED FUNDS
7=OTHER
Using your own words, how would you describe how you sent them money?

55

S7B5. What form of payment or payments did you use to provide the money? For example, did you use
a credit card, debit card, pay by check, (etc)? (MARK ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=CREDIT CARD
2=DEBIT OR ATM CARD
3=CASH
4=CHECK
5=CASHIER’S CHECK
6=MOBILE OR ONLINE PAYMENT APP (LIKE PAYPAL, APPLEPAY, SQUARE, VENMO, GOOGLE WALLET)
7=MONEY ORDER
8=WIRED MONEY THROUGH WESTERN UNION, MONEY GRAM, OR BANK TRANSFER
9=GIFT CARD
10=PREPAID CARD (LIKE GREEN DOT, VANILLA CARD, BLUEBIRD, OR MONEYPAK)
11=BITCOIN OR OTHER DIGITAL CURRENCY
12=TRANSFER FROM EXISTING INVESTMENT ACCOUNT
13=OTHER PAYMENT METHOD
[IF NEEDED Can you tell me more about the payment type?]
S7B6. How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company? (ENTER IN WHOLE
DOLLARS.)
$[________________________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you gave this person or
company?

56

S7B7. Did you get any of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal
action?
1=YES (ASK S7B8)
2=NO (SKIP TO S7B9)

S7B8. How much money did you get back? (ENTER IN WHOLE DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you got back?

S7B9. [If S7a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time you donated or
sent money to someone who pretended to be a family member, friend, caregiver, or someone
interested in you romantically, but that person was not who they claimed to be], did you report the
incident to a law enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff or a federal law enforcement
agency?
1=YES (SKIP TO S7B11)
2=NO (ASK S7B10)
What groups or people would you include when we ask if you reported this to “a law
enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement agency?

S7B10. Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
2=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/ WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
4=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
5=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
57

7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
9=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
10=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
13=OTHER
Are there any other reason(s) you did not report what happened to law enforcement?

S7B11. Did you tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S7B11a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11b. A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11c. Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11d. Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11e. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
58

2=NO
S7B11f. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11g. Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11h. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11i. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11j. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11k. Someone else?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B8ko. [IF S7B8k = YES] Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
Were there any groups here you had not heard of before or weren’t sure who they
were?
S7B12. The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. My next questions
are about how the incident made you feel, and how it impacted you financially.
[If S7a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time you donated or sent
money to someone who pretended to be a family member, friend, caregiver, or someone interested in
you romantically, but that person was not who they claimed to be], how distressing was this incident?
Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing,
2=Mildly distressing,
59

3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?

S7B13. Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble
with your boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
INTERVIEWER: IF NO JOB OR SCHOOL, NOTE AND MOVE ON.
What kinds of people did you think about in this question? What do you think “peers”
means as it was used in this question? (REREAD QUESTION IF NEEDED)

S7B14. Did this [IF S7a>1 most recent] incident lead you to have significant problems with family
members or friends, including getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you
could trust them as much, or not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO

S7B15. As a direct result of this incident, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or
pay your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
What did you think about when answering this question?

60

S7B16. Thinking about this [IF S7a>1 most recent] incident when you donated or sent money to
someone who pretended to be a family member, friend, caregiver, or someone interested in you
romantically, but weren’t who they claimed to be, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW/NOT SURE
In your own words, what do you think it means to be a victim of fraud?

How did you come up with your answer to this question?

S7B17. In your own words, please briefly describe the most recent time you donated or sent money to
someone who pretended to be a family member, friend, caregiver, or someone interested in you
romantically, but that person was not who they claimed to be.

IF HAD ANY ‘MOST RECENT’ QUESTIONS – How easy or difficult was it for you to think
only about the most recent time this happened in the past 12 months?

Those are all of the survey questions I have for you. Now I want to ask you some overall questions about
the survey.
General Questions
Overall, what are your thoughts about the survey?

61

Were there any questions that were unclear or confusing that we haven’t already
talked about?

Is there anything else about your experience(s) that we did not ask about, but you
thought we would or should?

Do you have any final thoughts/questions/comments?

62

Attachment 12:
Version 4 Protocol

V4 Supplemental Fraud Survey (SFS)
Cognitive Testing Protocol–Spring 2017
On behalf of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), I would like to thank you for taking the time
to speak with me today. I greatly appreciate it.
Purpose: The purpose of this interview is to ask you questions about your experiences with
being a victim of fraud. We are hoping to get your feedback and opinions on these questions so
we may improve them.
Procedure: I am going to ask you questions as if I were an interviewer who came to your house
or called you on the phone. I would like you to please answer these questions to the best of
your knowledge and know that there are no right or wrong answers. After some of the survey
questions I may stop and ask you follow-up questions to better understand your answer and the
way you thought about the question. Most of my follow-up questions will ask what you thought
about certain phrases or what you think a question is trying to ask.
As we are going through the survey, please feel free to tell me anything that comes to mind or to
ask me anything you are unclear about. Feel free to think aloud as you are answering these
questions. We want your honest opinions about what you like and dislike and what you do and
don’t understand so we can improve this survey. I also want to remind you that you do not have
to answer any questions you do not want to and you can end the interview at any time. If I ask
you a question you do not want to answer, you can just say “Pass.”
Once you have answered all of the survey questions, I will ask you a few follow-up questions
about your overall thoughts about the survey.
Do you have any questions before we begin?

1

INTRO
These questions refer to experiences in which someone convinced you to pay, invest, or donate money
or your personal time, by tricking or lying to you, hiding information, or promising you something that
you never received.
Prize or grant fraud – screener
S1. In the past 12 months, that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], did you pay
money to receive a prize, grant, inheritance, lottery winning, or other large sum of money that you were
told was yours?
1=YES (ASK S1A)
2=NO (SKIP TO S2)
S1a. How many times did this happen in the past 12 months?
__________________ [NUMERIC, OPEN-ENDED BOX]
S1b. (If S1a >1, For how many of these incidents) Did you get all of the money you were promised?
_____________ [NUMERIC, OPEN-ENDED BOX]

In your own words, tell me what you think it means to “pay money to receive a prize, grant,
inheritance, lottery winning, or other large sum of money that you were told was yours.” Can
you think of an example of this?

IF S1b – You said you got all of the money you were promised X times. Were there any times
when you only got some of the money you were promised?
IF YES, Did you get more than the amount you paid?

(GO TO S2)

2

Phantom debt collection fraud – screener
S2. [IF NEEDED: Not including the time(s) you may have already told me about] In the past 12 months,
that is since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], did you pay money to settle or pay off a
debt, but you found out you were being tricked or lied to and the debt was not real or not yours?
1=YES (SKIP TO S2A)
2=NO (SKIP TO S3)
S2a. How many times did this happen in the past 12 months?
__________________ [NUMERIC, OPEN-ENDED BOX]

What type of situations do you think we are asking about in this question? Can you give an
example?

IF S2a – Did you have any difficulty remembering how many times this happened in the past
12 months?

(GO TO S3)

3

Charity fraud – screener
S3. [IF NEEDED: Not including the time(s) you may have already told me about] In the past 12 months,
that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you donated money to a charity
or a charitable cause that later turned out to be fake or that you later suspected was fake?
1=YES (ASK S3A)
2=NO (SKIP TO S4)
S3a. How many times did this happen in the past 12 months?
__________________ [NUMERIC, OPEN-ENDED BOX]

In your own words, what do you think we mean when we say, “later turned out to be fake or
that you later suspected was fake”? Can you give an example?

IF S3a – Did you have any difficulty remembering how many times this happened in the past
12 months?

(GO TO S4)

4

Employment fraud – screener
S4. [IF NEEDED: Not including the time(s) you may have already told me about]In the past 12 months,
that is since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you paid money to get a job or get
into a business opportunity but were tricked or lied to about how the money would be used or what you
would receive in return?
1=YES (ASK S4A)
2=NO (SKIP TO S5)

S4a. How many times did this happen in the past 12 months?
__________________ [NUMERIC, OPEN-ENDED BOX]

S4b. (If S4a>1, For how many of these incidents) Did you get all of your money back from the person or
company without filing a claim or taking legal action?
________________ [NUMERIC, OPEN-ENDED BOX]
[IF RESPONDENT SAYS “NOT YET” = NO, DID NOT GET MONEY BACK]
[IF S4B < S4A, ASK S4C. ALL ELSE SKIP TO S5]
S4c. For incident(s) in which you didn’t get your money back, did you try to get it back?
1=YES (ASK S4D)
2=NO (SKIP TO S5)
S4d. Do you think there is a chance that the person or company might still give you all of your money
back?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
What do you think we mean when we say “paid money to get a job or get into a business
opportunity but were tricked or lied to about how the money would be used or what you
would receive in return”?

What types of situations do you think this includes?

5

IF S4a – Did you have any difficulty remembering how many times this happened in the past
12 months?

IF S4b – This question asks, “Did you get all of your money back from the person or company
without filing a claim or taking legal action?” What do you think we are asking here?

IF S4b – What does “filing a claim or taking legal action” mean to you?

IF S4d – Can you tell me about your answer to this question and why you answered the way
you did?

(GO TO S5)

6

Consumer investment fraud – screener
S5. [IF NEEDED: Not including the time(s) you may have already told me about], in the past 12 months,
that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you invested money with a
person or company that tricked you or lied to you about what you would receive in return?
1=YES (ASK S5A)
2=NO (SKIP TO S6)
S5a. How many times did this happen in the past 12 months?
__________________ [NUMERIC, OPEN-ENDED BOX]

S5b. (If S5a>1, For how many of these incidents) Do you believe that the investment opportunity was
made up or that your money was never invested at all?
__________________ [NUMERIC, OPEN-ENDED BOX]

What do you think it means to “invest money with a person or company”?

We ask if you “invested money with a person or company that tricked you or lied to you about
what you would receive in return.” Can you think of some examples of a situation like this?

7

IF S5b – What do you think we mean when we say the “investment opportunity was made up
or that your money was never invested at all”?

What if we changed the question to say “invested money with a person or company that
promised you a guaranteed return or promised you would not lose any money”? Would that
have changed your answer?

(GO TO S6)

8

Consumer products or services fraud (excluding unauthorized billing) – screener
S6. [IF NEEDED: Not including the time(s) you may have already told me about], In the past 12 months,
that is, since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you lost money by paying for any
products or services that you never received or that turned out to be a scam?
1=YES (ASK S6A)
2=NO (SKIP TO S7)
S6a. How many times did this happen in the past 12 months?
_____________________ [NUMERIC, OPEN-ENDED BOX]
S6b. (If S6a>1, For how many of these incidents) Did you get all of your money back from the person or
company without filing a claim or taking legal action?
_____________________ [NUMERIC, OPEN-ENDED BOX]
[If respondent says “not yet” = no, did not get money back]
[If S6b < S6a, ask S6c. All else skip to S7]
S6c. For incident(s) in which you didn’t get your money back, did you try to get it back?
1=YES (ASK S6D)
2=NO (SKIP TO S7)
S6d. Do you think there is a chance that the person or company might still give you all of your money
back?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
Can you tell me in your own words what this question is asking? (“lost money by paying for
any products or services that you never received or that turned out to be a scam”?)

9

Did you think of any instances that you thought might have counted here, but you weren’t
sure?

IF S4b – This question asks, “Did you get all of your money back from the person or company
without filing a claim or taking legal action?” What do you think we are asking here?

IF S4b – What does “filing a claim or taking legal action” mean to you?

IF S4d – Can you tell me about your answer to this question and why you answered the way
you did?
(GO TO S7)

10

Relationship/trust fraud – screener
S7. [IF NEEDED: Not including the time(s) you may have already told me about], in the past 12 months,
that is since [AUTOFILL DATE A YEAR AGO FROM SURVEY DATE], have you donated or sent money to
someone who pretended to be a family member, friend, caregiver, or someone interested in you
romantically, but that person was not who they claimed to be?
1=YES (ASK S7A)
2=NO (SKIP TO INCIDENT FORM IF RESPONDENT SCREENED IN AS A FRAUD VICTIM; ALL ELSE END
SURVEY)
S7a. How many times did this happen in the past 12 months?
_____________________ [NUMERIC, OPEN-ENDED BOX]
(We asked “have you donated or sent money to someone who pretended to be a family
member, friend, caregiver, or someone interested in you romantically, but that person was
not who they claimed to be?”) In this question, what do you think “but that person was not
who they claimed to be” means?

Can you give me an example of this?

GO TO INCIDENT FORM IF RESPONDENT SCREENED IN AS A FRAUD VICTIM; ALL ELSE END SURVEY.

11

Prize or grant fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A PRIZE OR GRANT FRAUD VICTIM
BY REPORTING –
•

S1B1, the most recent time you had> that experience.

S1B1. Which one of the following best describes the money or prize you were supposed to receive? Was
it….
1=Winnings from a lottery,
2=Winnings from a sweepstakes, raffle, or promotion,
3=An unclaimed inheritance,
4=A grant or loan from the government,
5=A tax refund,
6=Or something else?
S1B1o. How would you best describe the money or prize you were supposed to receive?
________________________
How easy or difficult was it to pick an answer from the list? (PROBE ON DIFFICULTIES:
MEMORY, TOO SIMILAR, TOO MANY, NOT ENOUGH)

S1B2. Were you told that you would have to pay a deposit, taxes, or a fee in order to get the money or
prize you were supposed to receive?
1=YES
2=NO

12

S1B3. How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company? (ENTER IN WHOLE
DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
S1B3 – Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you gave this person or
company?

S1B4. Did you get any of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal
action?
1=YES (ASK S1B5)
2=NO (SKIP TO S1B6)

S1B5. How much money did you get back? (ENTER IN WHOLE DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
S1B5 – Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you got back?

S1B6. [If S1B>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you paid
money to receive a large sum of money but never got what you were promised], did you report the
incident to a law enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement
agency?
1=YES (SKIP TO S1B8)
2=NO (ASK S1B7)
What groups or people would you include when we ask if you reported this to “a law
enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement agency?

13

S1B7. Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
2=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
4=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
5=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
9=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
10=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
13=OTHER
Are there any other reason(s) you did not report what happened to law enforcement?

S1B8. Did you tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S1B8a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8b. A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8c. Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
14

2=NO
S1B8d. Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8e. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8f. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8g. Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8h. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8i. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8j. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8k. Someone else?
1=YES
2=NO
S1B8ko. [IF S1B8k = YES] Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
Were there any groups here you had not heard of before or weren’t sure who they were?

15

S1B9. The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. These questions are
about how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
[If S1B>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you paid money to
receive a large sum of money but never got what you were promised], how distressing was this
incident? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing,
2=Mildly distressing,
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?

S1B10. Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble
with your boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
INTERVIEWER: IF NO JOB OR SCHOOL, NOTE AND MOVE ON.
What kinds of people did you think about in this question? What do you think “peers” means
as it was used in this question? (REREAD QUESTION IF NEEDED)

S1B11. Did this [IF S1a>1 most recent] incident lead you to have significant problems with family
members or friends, including getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you
could trust them as much, or not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO

16

S1B12. As a direct result of this incident, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or
pay your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
What did you think about when answering this question?

S1B13. Thinking about this [IF S1a>1 most recent] incident when you paid money to receive a large sum
of money but never got what you were promised, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW/NOT SURE
In your own words, what do you think it means to be a victim of fraud?

S1B14. In your own words, please briefly describe the most recent time that you paid money to receive
a large sum of money but never got what you were promised.

IF HAD ANY ‘MOST RECENT’ QUESTIONS – How easy or difficult was it for you to think only
about the most recent time this happened?
17

Phantom debt collection fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A PHANTOM DEBT COLLECTION
FRAUD VICTIM BY REPORTING –
•

S2=1 (ENDORSED BEHAVIOR)

S2B1intro. “You indicated that you paid money to settle or pay off a debt but found out you were being
tricked or lied to. I would like to ask you a few additional questions related to that experience. When
answering these questions, please only think about 1, the most recent time you had> that
experience.”

S2B1. Which one of the following best describes the type of debt you were told you owed. Was it debt
due to…
1=Unpaid taxes
2=An unpaid loan
3=An unpaid fine or ticket
4=Credit card charges
5=Health care or medical care services
6=Other
S2B1o. How would you describe the type of debt you were told you owed? ______________________
How easy or difficult was it to pick an answer from the list? (PROBE ON DIFFICULTIES:
MEMORY, TOO SIMILAR, TOO MANY, NOT ENOUGH)

S2B2. How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company? (ENTER IN WHOLE
DOLLARS.)
$[________________________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you gave this person or company?

18

S2B3. Did you get any of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal
action?
1=YES (ASK S2B4)
2=NO (SKIP TO S2B5)

S2B4. How much money did you get back? (ENTER IN WHOLE DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you got back?

S2B5. [If S2a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you paid
money to settle or pay off a debt but found out you were being tricked or lied to], did you report the
incident to a law enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff or a federal law enforcement
agency?
1=YES (SKIP TO S2B7)
2=NO (ASK S2B6)
What groups or people would you include when we ask if you reported this to “a law
enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement agency?

S2B6. Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
2=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/ WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
4=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
19

5=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
9=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
10=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
13=OTHER
Are there any other reason(s) you did not report what happened to law enforcement?

S2B7. Did you tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S2B7a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7b. A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7c. Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7d. Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7e. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7f. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
20

1=YES
2=NO
S2B7g. Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7h. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7i. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7j. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B7k. Someone else?
1=YES
2=NO
S2B8ko. [IF S2B8k = YES] Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
Were there any groups here you had not heard of before or weren’t sure who they were?
S2B8. The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. These questions are
about how the incident made you feel, and how it impacted you financially.
[If S2a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you paid money to
settle or pay off a debt but found out you were being tricked or lied to], how distressing was this
incident? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing,
2=Mildly distressing,
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?

21

S2B9. Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble
with your boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
INTERVIEWER: IF NO JOB OR SCHOOL, NOTE AND MOVE ON.
What kinds of people did you think about in this question? What do you think “peers” means
as it was used in this question? (REREAD QUESTION IF NEEDED)

S2B10. Did this [IF S2a>1 most recent] incident lead you to have significant problems with family
members or friends, including getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you
could trust them as much, or not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO

S2B11. As a direct result of this incident, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or
pay your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
What did you think about when answering this question?

S2B12. Thinking about this [IF S2a>1 most recent] incident when you paid money to settle or pay off a
debt, but you found out you were being tricked or lied to, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
22

2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW/NOT SURE
In your own words, what do you think it means to be a victim of fraud?

How did you come up with your answer to this question?

S2B13. In your own words, please briefly describe the most recent time that you paid money to settle or
pay off a debt but found out you were being tricked or lied to.

IF HAD ANY ‘MOST RECENT’ QUESTIONS – How easy or difficult was it for you to think only
about the most recent time this happened?

23

Charity fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A CHARITY FRAUD VICTIM BY
REPORTING –
•

S3=1 (ENDORSED BEHAVIOR)

S3B1intro. “You indicated that you donated money to a charity or a charitable cause that later turned
out to be fake or you later suspected was fake. I would like to ask you a few additional questions related
to that experience. When answering these questions, please only think 1, the most recent time
you had that experience.”

S3B1. You stated that in the past 12 months you donated money to a charity or a charitable cause that
turned out to be fake or that you suspected was fake. Was the donation supposed to be going to an
organization?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
What do you think we’re talking about in this question when we say “an organization?”

S3B2. Did you make this donation through a crowdfunding website like GoFundMe or Kickstarter?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW
Have you heard the term “crowdfunding” before?

Have you heard of GoFundMe or Kickstarter?

24

S3B3. How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company? (ENTER IN WHOLE
DOLLARS.)
$[________________________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you gave this person or company?

S3B4. Did you get any of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal
action?
1=YES (ASK S3B5)
2=NO (SKIP TO S3B6)

S3B5. How much money did you get back? (ENTER IN WHOLE DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you got back?

S3B6. [If S3a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you donated
money to a charity or a charitable cause that later turned out to be fake or you later suspected was
fake], did you report the incident to a law enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff or a
federal law enforcement agency?
1=YES (SKIP TO S3B8)
2=NO (ASK S3B7)
What groups or people would you include when we ask if you reported this to “a law
enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement agency?

25

S3B7. Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
2=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/ WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
4=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
5=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
9=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
10=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
13=OTHER
Are there any other reason(s) you did not report what happened to law enforcement?

S3B8. Did you tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S3B8a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8b. A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8c. Bank or credit card company?
26

1=YES
2=NO
S3B8d. Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8e. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8f. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8g. Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8h. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8i. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8j. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8k. Someone else?
1=YES
2=NO
S3B8ko. [IF S3B8k = YES] Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
Were there any groups here you had not heard of before or weren’t sure who they were?

27

S3B9. The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. These questions are
about how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
[If S3a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you donated
money to a charity or a charitable cause that later turned out to be fake or you later suspected was
fake], how distressing was this incident? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing
2=Mildly distressing
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?

S3B10. Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble
with your boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
INTERVIEWER: IF NO JOB OR SCHOOL, NOTE AND MOVE ON.
What kinds of people did you think about in this question? What do you think “peers” means
as it was used in this question? (REREAD QUESTION IF NEEDED)

S3B11. Did this [S3a>1 most recent] incident lead you to have significant problems with family members
or friends, including getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you could
trust them as much, or not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO

S3B12. As a direct result of this incident, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or
pay your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
28

3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
What did you think about when answering this question?

S3B13. Thinking about this [IF S3a>1 most recent] incident when you donated money to a charity or a
charitable cause that later turned out to be fake, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW/NOT SURE
In your own words, what do you think it means to be a victim of fraud?

How did you come up with your answer to this question?

S3B14. In your own words, please briefly describe the most recent time that you donated money to a
charity or a charitable cause that later turned out to be fake or you later suspected was fake.

29

IF HAD ANY ‘MOST RECENT’ QUESTIONS – How easy or difficult was it for you to think only
about the most recent time this happened?

30

Employment fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS AN EMPLOYMENT FRAUD VICTIM
BY REPORTING –
•
•
•
•
•

S4=1 (ENDORSED BEHAVIOR)
S4A>=1 (HOW MANY TIMES)
S4B NOT = TO NUMBER OF TIMES IN S4A
S4C=1 (YES, TRIED TO GET THEIR MONEY BACK)
S4D=2, 3 (NOT A CHANCE OR DON’T KNOW IF RESPONDENT WILL GET THEIR MONEY BACK)

S4B1intro. “You indicated that you paid money to get a job or get into a business opportunity but were
tricked or lied to about how the money would be used or what you would receive in return. I would like
to ask you a few additional questions related to that experience. When answering these questions,
please only think about 1, the most recent time you had> that experience.”

S4B1. Did the money you lost go to someone who…
Was supposed to be helping you start your own business?
1=YES (SKIP TO S4B4)
2=NO (ASK S4B2)

S4B2. (Did the money you lost go to someone who…)
Promised to help you make money while you worked from home?
1=YES (SKIP TO S4B4)
2=NO (ASK S4B3)

S4B3. (Did the money you lost go to someone who…)
Promised to help you get a government job?
1=YES
2=NO

S4B4. How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company? (ENTER IN WHOLE
DOLLARS.)
$[________________________________________]
31

[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you gave this person or company?

S4B5. Did you get any of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal
action?
1=YES (ASK S4B6)
2=NO (SKIP TO S4B7)

S4B6. How much money did you get back? (ENTER IN WHOLE DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you got back?

S4B7. [If S4b>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you paid
money to get a job or get into a business opportunity but were tricked or lied to about how the money
would be used or what you would receive in return], did you report the incident to a law enforcement
agency, such as the local police, a sheriff or a federal law enforcement agency?
1=YES (SKIP TO S4B9)
2=NO (ASK S4B8)
What groups or people would you include when we ask if you reported this to “a law
enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement agency?

S4B8. Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

32

1=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
2=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/ WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
4=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
5=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
9=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
10=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
13=OTHER
Are there any other reason(s) you did not report what happened to law enforcement?

S4B9. Did you tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S4B9a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9b. A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9c. Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9d. Company’s customer service?
33

1=YES
2=NO
S4B9e. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9f. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9g. Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9h. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9i. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9j. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B9k. Someone else?
1=YES
2=NO
S4B8ko. [IF S4B8k = YES] Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
Were there any groups here you had not heard of before or weren’t sure who they were?

34

S4B10. The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. My next questions
are about how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
[If S4b>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time that you paid money to
get a job or get into a business opportunity but were tricked or lied to about how the money would be
used or what you would receive in return], how distressing was this incident? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing
2=Mildly distressing
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?

S4B11. Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble
with your boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
INTERVIEWER: IF NO JOB OR SCHOOL, NOTE AND MOVE ON.
What kinds of people did you think about in this question? What do you think “peers” means
as it was used in this question? (REREAD QUESTION IF NEEDED)

S4B12. Did this [IF S4a>1 most recent] incident lead you to have significant problems with family
members or friends, including getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you
could trust them as much, or not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO

S4B13. As a direct result of this incident, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or
pay your bills? Would you say…
35

1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
What did you think about when answering this question?

S4B14. Thinking about this [IF S4a>1 most recent] incident when you paid money to get into a business
opportunity but were tricked or lied to, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW/NOT SURE
In your own words, what do you think it means to be a victim of fraud?

How did you come up with your answer to this question?

S4B15. In your own words, please briefly describe the most recent time that you paid money to get a job
or get into a business opportunity but were tricked or lied to about how the money would be used or
what you would receive in return.

36

IF HAD ANY ‘MOST RECENT’ QUESTIONS – How easy or difficult was it for you to think only
about the most recent time this happened?

37

Consumer investment fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A CONSUMER INVESTMENT FRAUD
VICTIM BY REPORTING –
•
•
•

S5=1 (ENDORSED BEHAVIOR)
S5A>=1 (HOW MANY TIMES)
S5B=1 (RESPONDENT BELIEVES INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY WAS MADE UP)

S5B1intro. “You indicated that you invested money with a person or company that tricked you or lied to
you, and you believe the investment was made up or your money was never invested at all. I would like
to ask you a few additional questions related to that experience. When answering these questions,
please only think about 1, the most recent time you had> that experience.”

S5B1. Which one of the following best describes the type of investment you thought you were making?
Were you investing in………
1=A low valued stock, also called a ‘penny stock,
2=Shares of a company prior to the company going public,
3=Real estate or a real estate investment trust,
4=A company that explores for new oil or gas,
5=An alternative energy company,
6=A government or corporate bond or promissory note ,
7=A foreign currency,
8=Precious metals,
9=Other products that could be traded, or
10=Something else?
11=Other Specify ________________________
88=DON’T KNOW
98=REFUSED
How easy or difficult was it to pick an answer from the list? (PROBE ON DIFFICULTIES:
MEMORY, TOO SIMILAR, TOO MANY, NOT ENOUGH)

38

S5B2. How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company? (ENTER IN WHOLE
DOLLARS.)
$[________________________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you gave this person or company?

S5B3. Did you get any of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal
action?
1=YES (ASK S5B4)
2=NO (SKIP TO S5B5)

S5B4. How much money did you get back? (ENTER IN WHOLE DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you got back?

S5B5. [If S5a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time you invested
money with a person or company that tricked you or lied to you and you believe the investment was
made up or your money was never invested at all], did you report the incident to a law enforcement
agency, such as the local police, a sheriff or a federal law enforcement agency?
1=YES (SKIP TO S5B7)
2=NO (ASK S5B6)
What groups or people would you include when we ask if you reported this to “a law
enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement agency?

39

S5B6. Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
2=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/ WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
4=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
5=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
9=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
10=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
13=OTHER
Are there any other reason(s) you did not report what happened to law enforcement?

S5B7. Did you tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S5B7a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7b. A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7c. Bank or credit card company?
40

1=YES
2=NO
S5B7d. Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7e. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7f. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7g. Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7h. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7i. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7j. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B7k. Someone else?
1=YES
2=NO
S5B8ko. [IF S5B8k = YES] Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
Were there any groups here you had not heard of before or weren’t sure who they were?

41

S5B8. The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. My next questions are
about how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
[If S5a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time you invested money
with a person or company that tricked you or lied to you and you believe the investment was made up
or your money was never invested at all], how distressing was this incident? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing
2=Mildly distressing
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?

S5B9. Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble
with your boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
INTERVIEWER: IF NO JOB OR SCHOOL, NOTE AND MOVE ON.
What kinds of people did you think about in this question? What do you think “peers” means
as it was used in this question? (REREAD QUESTION IF NEEDED)

S5B10. Did this [IF S5a>1 most recent] incident lead you to have significant problems with family
members or friends, including getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you
could trust them as much, or not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO

S5B11. As a direct result of this incident, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or
pay your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
42

4=Very difficult?
What did you think about when answering this question?

S5B12. Thinking about this [IF S5a>1 most recent] incident when you invested money with a person or
company that tricked you or lied to you about what you would receive in return, do you think you were
a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW/NOT SURE
In your own words, what do you think it means to be a victim of fraud?

How did you come up with your answer to this question?

S5B13. In your own words, please briefly describe the most recent time you invested money with a
person or company that tricked you or lied to you and you believe the investment was made up or your
money was never invested at all.

IF HAD ANY ‘MOST RECENT’ QUESTIONS – How easy or difficult was it for you to think only
about the most recent time this happened?

43

Consumer products or services fraud (excluding unauthorized billing) – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A CONSUMER PRODUCTS OR
SERVICES FRAUD VICTIM BY REPORTING –
•
•
•
•
•

S6=1 (ENDORSED BEHAVIOR)
S6A>=1 (HOW MANY TIMES)
S6B NOT = TO NUMBER OF TIMES IN S6A
S6C=1 (YES, TRIED TO GET THEIR MONEY BACK)
S6D=2, 3 (NOT A CHANCE OR DON’T KNOW IF RESPONDENT WILL GET THEIR MONEY BACK)

S6B1intro. You indicated that you lost money by paying for a product or service that you never received
or turned out to be a scam. I would like to ask you a few additional questions related to that experience.
When answering these questions, please only think about 1, the most recent time you had> that
experience.

S6B2. Would you say you were trying to purchase a product or a service?
1=PRODUCT (SKIP TO S6B3)
2=SERVICE (SKIP TO S6B5)
3=DON'T KNOW (SKIP TO S6B6)

S6B3. Which one of the following best describes the type of product you were trying to purchase? Was
it…
1=A weight loss product or health supplement,
2=A medical device,
3=A collectible or some type of memorabilia,
4=Computer software,
5=Gemstones or precious metals,
6=Automobile parts, or
7=Something else?
8=OTHER SPECIFY_______________________

44

How easy or difficult was it to pick an answer from the list? (PROBE ON DIFFICULTIES:
MEMORY, TOO SIMILAR, TOO MANY, NOT ENOUGH)

45

S6B4. Regardless of whether it was worthless or a scam, did you receive an actual product?
1=YES, RECEIVED
2=NEVER RECEIVED AT ALL
3=DON'T KNOW
[SKIP TO S6B6]
What do you think we are asking in this question?

S6B5. Which one of the following best describes the type of service you were trying to purchase? Was
it…….
1=An insurance service,
2=Computer virus removal or repair services,
3=Home or vehicle repair services,
4=Internet or phone services,
5=Website hosting or web domain services,
6=A service to prevent losses from fraud or identity theft,
7=A service to help you manage or pay off a debt,
8=A service to remove negative information from your credit report,
9=A home, apartment, or vacation rental service,
10=A service to help grow your business,
11=An adoption service, or
12=Something else?
SPECIFY____________________
How easy or difficult was it to pick an answer from the list? (PROBE ON DIFFICULTIES:
MEMORY, TOO SIMILAR, TOO MANY, NOT ENOUGH)

46

S6B6. How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company? (ENTER IN WHOLE
DOLLARS.)
$[________________________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you gave this person or company?

S6B7. Did you get any of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal
action?
1=YES (ASK S6B8)
2=NO (SKIP TO S6B9)

S6B8. How much money did you get back? (ENTER IN WHOLE DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you got back?

S6B9. [If S6a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time you lost money
by paying for a product or service that you never received or turned out to be a scam], did you report
the incident to a law enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff or a federal law
enforcement agency?
1=YES (SKIP TO S6B11)
2=NO (ASK S6B10)
What groups or people would you include when we ask if you reported this to “a law
enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement agency?

47

S6B10. Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
2=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/ WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
4=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
5=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
9=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
10=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
13=OTHER
Are there any other reason(s) you did not report what happened to law enforcement?

S6B11. Did you tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S6B11a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11b. A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11c. Bank or credit card company?
48

1=YES
2=NO
S6B11d. Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11e. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11f. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11g. Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11h. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11i. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11j. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B11k. Someone else?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B8ko. [IF S6B8k = YES] Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
Were there any groups here you had not heard of before or weren’t sure who they were?

49

S6B12. The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. My next questions
are about how the incident made you feel and how it impacted you financially.
[If S6a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time you lost money by
paying for a product or service that you never received or turned out to be a scam], how distressing was
this incident? Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing,
2=Mildly distressing,
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?

S6B13. Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble
with your boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
INTERVIEWER: IF NO JOB OR SCHOOL, NOTE AND MOVE ON.
What kinds of people did you think about in this question? What do you think “peers” means
as it was used in this question? (REREAD QUESTION IF NEEDED)

S6B14. Did this [IF S6a>1 most recent] incident lead you to have significant problems with family
members or friends, including getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you
could trust them as much, or not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO
S6B15. As a direct result of this incident, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or
pay your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
What did you think about when answering this question?
50

S6B16. Thinking about this [IF S6a>1 most recent] incident when you lost money by paying for a product
or service that you never received or that turned out to be a scam, do you think you were a victim of
fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW/NOT SURE
In your own words, what do you think it means to be a victim of fraud?

How did you come up with your answer to this question?

S6B17. In your own words, please briefly describe the most recent time you lost money by paying for
any products or services that you never received or turned out to be a scam.

IF HAD ANY ‘MOST RECENT’ QUESTIONS – How easy or difficult was it for you to think only
about the most recent time this happened?

51

Relationship/trust fraud – incident form
RESPONDENT RECEIVES THIS INCIDENT FORM IF THEY SCREEN IN AS A FRAUD VICTIM BY REPORTING –
•

S7=1 (ENDORSED BEHAVIOR)

S7B1intro. You indicated that you donated or sent money to someone who pretended to be a family
member, friend, caregiver, or someone interested in you romantically, but that person was not who
they claimed to be. I would like to ask you a few additional questions related to that experience. When
answering these questions, please only think about 1, the most recent time you had> that
experience.

S7B1. You stated that in the past 12 months, you lost money paying to help someone who pretended to
be someone they weren’t. Was this person someone who seemed to have a romantic interest in you?
1=YES (SKIP TO S7B3)
2=NO (ASK S7B2)
What do you think we mean when we ask if this was someone who had a “romantic interest”
in you?

S7B2. Did the person pretend to be a family member?
1=YES
2=NO

S7B3. Which one of the following best describes how were you first contacted by this person?
1=Through a chat room,
2=Through a dating app or website,
3=Through social media (facebook, twitter, youtube),
4=Through another website,
5=In an email,
6=By a text message or phone call,
52

7=A mutual friend or someone claiming to be a mutual friend, or
8=Some other way?
How easy or difficult was it to pick an answer from the list? (PROBE ON DIFFICULTIES:
MEMORY, TOO SIMILAR, TOO MANY, NOT ENOUGH)

S7B4. How did you provide him or her with money? For example, did you wire them money, send it
through the mail, make a bank transfer (etc.)? (MARK ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=PAID ONLINE
2=PAYMENT SENT THROUGH THE MAIL
3=PAID OVER THE TELEPHONE
4=BANK TRANSFER
5=PAID THE PERSON FACE-TO-FACE
6=WIRED FUNDS
7=OTHER
Using your own words, how would you describe how you sent them money?

S7B5. What form of payment or payments did you use to provide the money? For example, did you use
a credit card, debit card, pay by check, (etc)? (MARK ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=CREDIT CARD
2=DEBIT OR ATM CARD
3=CASH
53

4=CHECK
5=CASHIER’S CHECK
6=MOBILE OR ONLINE PAYMENT APP (LIKE PAYPAL, APPLEPAY, SQUARE, VENMO, GOOGLE WALLET)
7=MONEY ORDER
8=WIRED MONEY THROUGH WESTERN UNION, MONEY GRAM, OR BANK TRANSFER
9=GIFT CARD
10=PREPAID CARD (LIKE GREEN DOT, VANILLA CARD, BLUEBIRD, OR MONEYPAK)
11=BITCOIN OR OTHER DIGITAL CURRENCY
12=TRANSFER FROM EXISTING INVESTMENT ACCOUNT
13=OTHER PAYMENT METHOD
[IF NEEDED Can you tell me more about the payment type?]
S7B6. How much money, altogether, did you give to this person or company? (ENTER IN WHOLE
DOLLARS.)
$[________________________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you gave this person or company?

S7B7. Did you get any of that money back, either on your own or after filing a claim or taking legal
action?
1=YES (ASK S7B8)
2=NO (SKIP TO S7B9)

S7B8. How much money did you get back? (ENTER IN WHOLE DOLLARS.)
$[_______________________________]
[EDIT: 0-999,999]
Did you have any difficulty remembering how much money you got back?

54

S7B9. [If S7a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time you donated or
sent money to someone who pretended to be a family member, friend, caregiver, or someone
interested in you romantically, but that person was not who they claimed to be], did you report the
incident to a law enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff or a federal law enforcement
agency?
1=YES (SKIP TO S7B11)
2=NO (ASK S7B10)
What groups or people would you include when we ask if you reported this to “a law
enforcement agency, such as the local police, a sheriff, or a federal law enforcement agency?

S7B10. Why did you not report the incident to law enforcement? (SELECT ALL THAT APPLY)
PROBE: Are there any other reasons? UNTIL R SAYS NO

1=I WAS EMBARRASSED/ASHAMED
2=DIDN’T KNOW I COULD (OR SHOULD) REPORT IT/ WASN’T SURE IT WAS A CRIME
3=DIDN’T KNOW WHO TO CONTACT
4=DIDN’T KNOW HOW TO CONTACT THEM
5=DIDN’T LOSE MUCH MONEY OR GOT MOST OF MONEY BACK
6=TOOK CARE OF IT MYSELF
7=DIDN’T THINK IT WOULD DO ANY GOOD
8=DIDN’T WANT TO BOTHER THE POLICE/DID NOT SEEM IMPORTANT ENOUGH
9=FOUND OUT ABOUT THE INCIDENT TOO LATE
10=COULDN’T PROVIDE MUCH INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER
11=DIDN’T WANT TO GET OFFENDER IN TROUBLE
12=TOO INCONVENIENT/DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE THE TIME
13=OTHER
Are there any other reason(s) you did not report what happened to law enforcement?

55

S7B11. Did you tell any of the following people or groups about the incident…?
S7B11a. Family or friends?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11b. A lawyer?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11c. Bank or credit card company?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11d. Company’s customer service?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11e. Federal Trade Commission (FTC)?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11f. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11g. Better Business Bureau (BBB)?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11h. Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3)?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11i. Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)?
1=YES
56

2=NO
S7B11j. Internal Revenue Service (IRS)?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B11k. Someone else?
1=YES
2=NO
S7B8ko. [IF S7B8k = YES] Who else did you tell about the incident? ______________
were?

Were there any groups here you had not heard of before or weren’t sure who they

S7B12. The type of incident you’ve described can impact people in different ways. My next questions
are about how the incident made you feel, and how it impacted you financially.
[If S7a>1, INCLUDE FOLLOWING INTRO: Still thinking about the most recent time you donated or sent
money to someone who pretended to be a family member, friend, caregiver, or someone interested in
you romantically, but that person was not who they claimed to be], how distressing was this incident?
Would you say it was…
1=Not at all distressing,
2=Mildly distressing,
3=Moderately distressing, or
4=Severely distressing?

S7B13. Did the incident lead you to have significant problems with your job or schoolwork, or trouble
with your boss, coworkers, or peers?
1=YES
2=NO
INTERVIEWER: IF NO JOB OR SCHOOL, NOTE AND MOVE ON.
What kinds of people did you think about in this question? What do you think “peers”
means as it was used in this question? (REREAD QUESTION IF NEEDED)

57

S7B14. Did this [IF S7a>1 most recent] incident lead you to have significant problems with family
members or friends, including getting into more arguments or fights than you did before, not feeling you
could trust them as much, or not feeling as close to them as you did before?
1=YES
2=NO

S7B15. As a direct result of this incident, how difficult is it for you to meet your monthly expenses or
pay your bills? Would you say…
1=Not at all difficult,
2=A little difficult,
3=Pretty difficult, or
4=Very difficult?
What did you think about when answering this question?

S7B16. Thinking about this [IF S7a>1 most recent] incident when you donated or sent money to
someone who pretended to be a family member, friend, caregiver, or someone interested in you
romantically, but weren’t who they claimed to be, do you think you were a victim of fraud?
1=YES
2=NO
3=DON’T KNOW/NOT SURE
In your own words, what do you think it means to be a victim of fraud?

How did you come up with your answer to this question?

58

S7B17. In your own words, please briefly describe the most recent time you donated or sent money to
someone who pretended to be a family member, friend, caregiver, or someone interested in you
romantically, but that person was not who they claimed to be.

IF HAD ANY ‘MOST RECENT’ QUESTIONS – How easy or difficult was it for you to think
only about the most recent time this happened?

Those are all of the survey questions I have for you. Now I want to ask you some overall questions about
the survey.
General Questions
Overall, what are your thoughts about the survey?

Were there any questions that were unclear or confusing that we haven’t already
talked about?

Is there anything else about your experience(s) that we did not ask about, but you
thought we would or should?

Do you have any final thoughts/questions/comments?

59

Attachment 13:
Cognitive Interview Report

NCVS Supplemental Fraud Survey (SFS)

Cognitive Interview Report

April 3, 2017

CONTENTS
1

Background ...............................................................................................................................................................1

2

Participants ...............................................................................................................................................................1

3

Methodology.............................................................................................................................................................2

4

Findings.....................................................................................................................................................................2
4.1

General..............................................................................................................................................................2

4.2

V3 Screener and survey findings ........................................................................................................................5

4.2.1

Prize and Grant Fraud (A2+A8) ...................................................................................................................5

4.2.2

Phantom Debt Collection Fraud (A5) ..........................................................................................................7

4.2.3

Charity Fraud (A3+A9a=1) ..........................................................................................................................7

4.2.4

Employment Fraud (A4) .............................................................................................................................8

4.2.5

Investment Fraud (A1) ...............................................................................................................................9

4.2.6

Consumer Products and Services Fraud (A2+A7) ......................................................................................12

4.2.7

Relationship/Trust Fraud (A3+A9a=2).......................................................................................................15

4.3

5

V4 Screener and Survey Findings .....................................................................................................................18

4.3.1

Prize/Grant Fraud (S1)..............................................................................................................................18

4.3.2

Phantom Debt Collection Fraud (S2).........................................................................................................20

4.3.3

Charity Fraud (S3) ....................................................................................................................................22

4.3.4

Employment Fraud (S4)............................................................................................................................24

4.3.5

Consumer Investment Fraud (S5) .............................................................................................................27

4.3.6

Consumer Products or Services Fraud (S6) ...............................................................................................28

4.3.7

Relationship/Trust Fraud (S7) ...................................................................................................................31

Recommendations ..................................................................................................................................................33

1 BACKGROUND
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is in the process of developing a supplemental survey on fraud for the National
Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS). This survey is based on a taxonomy of fraud developed by the Financial Fraud
Research Center (FFRC), a joint project of the Stanford Center on Longevity and the FINRA Investor Education
Foundation (FINRA Foundation), in collaboration with BJS. The taxonomy identified up to five levels of individual fraud.
As part of this process, BJS asked RTI to assist in the development and testing of the supplemental survey. After multiple
rounds of data collection using the crowdsourcing website Mechanical Turk (MTurk), RTI began conducting in-person
cognitive interviews.
The two versions used for testing were called Version 3 (V3) and Version 4 (V4). Both Versions 1 (V1) and 2 (V2) were
tested in crowdsourcing and had evolved, which is why only V3 and V4 were used for in-person cognitive testing. V3 was
created by staff at RTI, with input from BJS, as a means of capturing both Level 2 and Level 3 types of fraud in the
screener. Unlike the previous versions (V1 and V2) there was an extra layer of follow-up questions added to the V3
screener. The screener was tested in crowdsourcing, but was still found to have problems. In order to gather more
information about improving V3, it was passed on to in-person cognitive testing.
V4 was created by BJS, with input from RTI, as a hybrid of the V2 and V3 screeners. This hybrid was created based upon
the positive findings in each version screener during crowdsourcing. Unlike V3, the V4 screener had not been previously
tested in crowdsourcing.
The purpose of crowdsourcing was to test the screeners to see if respondents were correctly reporting fraud. For inperson interviewing, we tested both the screener and the body of the survey, which was called the incident form. The
incident form was developed by BJS, with input from RTI, for the V4 screener. RTI then adapted the skip logic and added
the incident form to the V3 screener. The incident forms for both V3 and V4 are the same.

2 PARTICIPANTS
Participants for these in-person cognitive interviews were recruited via ads posted on craigslist.com. The posted ad
described the survey content and included a link to a screener survey. The screener survey for these interviews was the
V4 screener with some additional questions for demographic and contact information. Interested volunteers would
complete the screener survey and those who were eligible would be called by an RTI recruiter in order to set up a date
and time to complete the interview.
Ads were posted in the corresponding craigslist sites for three cities where RTI interviewers were located:
Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC; Charlotte, NC; and Portland, OR. In Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC and Portland, OR,
participants came into an RTI office whenever possible to complete the interview. Whenever that was not possible or
when there was a volunteer in Charlotte, NC, interviews took place in a private room at a public library. The majority of
interviews took place in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, NC area as that was where the most interviewers were located.
Table 1 shows the demographic breakdown of participants by location. All participants reported at least one type of
fraud occurring in the past 12 months in the online interview screener survey. A few participants reported that their
experiences with fraud were more than 12 months once they were being interviewed in-person.

Table 1: Participant Demographics by Interview Location
VERSION

AGE

EDUCATION
1

GENDER

RACE

HISPANIC

RAL/DUR/CH, NC
P1
V3
50+
College Graduate
Male
White
No
P2
V4
18-25
College Graduate
Female
Black
No
P3
V3
35-49
Some College
Male
Black
No
P4
V4
35-49
College Graduate
Female
Black
No
P6
V4
35-49
College Graduate
Male
White
No
P7*
V3
18-25
College Graduate
Male
Black
No
P9
V3
35-49
High School
Male
Black
No
P10
V4
50+
Some College
Female
White
No
P11
V3
18-25
College Graduate
Female
Other
Yes
P12
V4
50+
Some College
Male
White
No
CHARLOTTE, NC
P5
V3
50+
College Graduate
Male
Black
No
P8
V4
35-49
College Graduate
Male
White
No
PORTLAND, OR
P13
V3
50+
College Graduate
Female
White
No
P14
V4
35-49
Some College
Female
White
Yes
P15
V3
18-25
Some College
Female
Asian/PI
No
P16
V4
26-34
College Graduate
Female
Amer. Ind./AK Nat.
No
P17
V3
26-34
Some College
Male
Asian/PI
No
P18
V4
26-34
Some College
Female
Other
No
*P7’s responses were inconsistent between the screener and incident questions. This was not caught until after the interview was
complete, but the interviewer was suspicious that the participant was fabricating responses during the survey. We did not exclude
this participant from analysis, but we are cautious when interpreting these findings.

3 METHODOLOGY
Cognitive interviews are one-on-one interviews used to assess a questionnaire for general understanding, question and
response wording, respondent burden, and question context. The goal is to gain an understanding of how well the
questions work when administered to a sample of the survey’s target population. The interview follows a cognitive
protocol with pre-scripted probes. Cognitive interviewers also use spontaneous probes to gain a better understanding of
questions.
Interviews lasted approximately 1 hour. Participants were instructed to listen to the questions asked by the interviewer
and answer them as if they were being interviewed at their homes or over the phone. Throughout the survey, the
interviewer stopped in between survey questions to ask scripted and unscripted probes to better understand the
participant’s thought process and fraud experience. Following the interview, we asked each participant some additional
debriefing questions regarding their feelings about the survey in general.

4 FINDINGS
In these findings, if there are no comments about unclear questions or examples of misinterpretations, it should be
assumed that the question was generally well understood by all.

4.1 GENERAL
2

Non-Monetary Fraud
One participant (P11) did not endorse any of the screener questions as happening in the past 12 months, but she did
share some information on fraud she had been a victim of. Though she was reserved with the information she shared, it
was clear that more than once she had been tricked into providing her information in exchange for a prize. The
situations she described were either receiving an email or an internet pop-up saying she had won money but had to
provide her personal information in order to claim it. She described an email she received as very personal and it really
sounded like someone in another state had left her money. She provided information like her name, address and bank
account number and never received the promised money. She did, however, have her identity stolen. In one case, she
provided her personal information and she even received a check in the mail. However, when she went to cash the
check, it bounced. Though she did not provide money up front to receive more money in return, these situations seem
to suggest fraudulent activity as she is being tricked or lied to about what she would receive in return.
Getting Reimbursed By a Third Party
In multiple follow-up branches, participants correctly responded to the question “Have you gotten all of your money
back from the person or company you (gave/sent/donated) money to?” when they received money from a third party.
One participant answered “no” to that question explaining that the money came back from the credit card company.
Another person answered “no” because she did not get money back from the person she gave it to, but another friend
who felt bad for her and gave her the money she lost.
Multiple Incidents
The majority of people counted multiple incidents chronologically. They counted the first event as the “first event to
happen in the past 12 months.” In other words, the last event they counted was usually the most recent event.
Reporting Fraud to Agencies
The most common groups or agencies that participants had not been heard of before were the CFPB, IC3 and FINRA. A
few participants commented that it would have been nice to know about the existence of some of these agencies when
they were being defrauded. A few participants said they had not heard of the FTC, but that was only a small number.
Realization of Victimization
One interviewer reported having a few participants who revealed that they had not thought of themselves as victims of
fraud until they were completing our recruitment screener. These folks appreciated the resources that were provided at
the end of the survey.
V3 Overall Comments
Overall, the survey was fairly well received. A few participants commented on how thorough the survey was and how
many different aspects of fraud that were covered. One participant thought we would ask for more details about the
specific incident, then added that they would have been comfortable providing more information. Another participant
thought we should ask more about how people were contacted, as well as questions about social media use as it relates
to being defrauded. One participant felt that older respondents may need questions to be repeated more often because
of how similar they are.
V4 Overall Comments
The V4 survey was fairly well received, as well. One participant commented that the survey seemed repetitive. Two
participants commented on the time frame and that more information could be provided if the time was expanded
beyond the past 12 months. Another participant suggested providing a definition of fraud at the beginning of the survey
3

as some may not understand what all it entails. One interviewer received multiple comments pointing out fraudulent
ads on craigslist.com (where we recruited).

4

4.2 V3 SCREENER AND SURVEY FINDINGS
4.2.1 PRIZE AND GRANT FRAUD (A2+A8)
Said ‘Yes’

1

Fraud (responses)

1

Fraud (narrative)

1

Screener Responses:
P17
A2A
HOW MANY TIMES HAS THIS HAPPENED IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS?
A2B
HAVE YOU GOTTEN ALL OF YOUR MONEY BACK FROM THE PERSON OR COMPANY YOU
INVESTED WITH?
A2C
HAVE YOU TRIED TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK?
A2D
ARE YOU STILL COMMUNICATING WITH THE PERSON OR COMPANY THAT TOOK YOUR
MONEY?
A2E
DO YOU THINK YOU WILL GET ALL OF YOUR MONEY BACK?
A7D
WERE YOU TOLD TO PAY MONEY UP FRONT IN ORDER TO COLLECT EVEN MORE MONEY IN
RETURN?
A8A
WERE YOU TOLD TO PAY MONEY IN ORDER TO RECEIVE LOTTERY WINNINGS?
A8B
WERE YOU ASKED TO PAY TAXES OR FEES THAT WOULD ALLOW SOMEONE IN A FOREIGN
COUNTRY TO ACCESS A LARGE SUM OF MONEY THEY PROMISED TO SHARE WITH YOU?
A8C
WERE YOU TOLD TO PAY MONEY IN ORDER TO RECEIVE A GOVERNMENT GRANT?
A8D
WERE YOU TOLD TO PAY MONEY IN ORDER TO RECEIVE AN INHERITANCE?
A8E
WERE YOU TOLD TO PAY MONEY IN ORDER TO RECEIVE A TAX REFUND FROM THE IRS?
A8F
WERE YOU TOLD TO PAY MONEY IN ORDER TO RECEIVE A PRIZE, PROMOTION, OR
SWEEPSTAKES?

5

1
No
Yes
No

No
Yes

Yes
No

No
Yes
No
No

Fraud Situations:
•

P17: Approached about a Foundation that was created out of a couple’s lottery winnings. It was an opportunity
for people to create bank accounts and earn interest from those lottery winnings. He provided money to setup
the “bank account” and to pay “banking fees,” but never received any money in the account, as was promised.
(Note: This is difficult because the money was coming from “lottery winnings” (though not their own personal
lottery winnings), they were putting money up front to get interest in return, which suggested an “investment,”
but they were not actually investing their money, they were “paying” for charges to open and maintain a bank
account.)

Difficulties:
•

4.2.1.1

This is P17, which is a single incident that was repeated as it fit in multiple categories (prize/grant fraud,
investment fraud, products and services fraud) and the participant continued to re-report it. Since P17 said
A7d=1, he received the follow-up questions for prize and grant fraud. Some of his answers made sense.
o A8a – He paid money up front (for the bank account) to receive lottery winnings (the interest that came
from the “foundation founders’” lottery winnings).
o A8d – Here, he got confused and started talking about a second incident when he was asked to send
money overseas to get an inheritance, but he did not actually do it. There are multiple reasons why he
should not have endorsed this item.
S1 – PRIZE OR GRANT FRAUD INCIDENT FORM
P17

B1
WHICH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BEST DESCRIBES THE MONEY OR
PRIZE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO RECEIVE? WAS IT….
B2
WERE YOU TOLD THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO PAY A DEPOSIT, TAXES,
OR A FEE IN ORDER TO GET THE MONEY OR PRIZE YOU WERE
SUPPOSED TO RECEIVE?
B3
HOW MUCH MONEY, ALTOGETHER, DID YOU GIVE TO THIS PERSON
OR COMPANY?
B4
DID YOU GET ANY OF THAT MONEY BACK, EITHER ON YOUR OWN OR
AFTER FILING A CLAIM OR TAKING LEGAL ACTION?
B5
HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU GET BACK?
B6
DID YOU REPORT THE INCIDENT TO A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY,
SUCH AS THE LOCAL POLICE, A SHERIFF OR A FEDERAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY?
B7
WHY DID YOU NOT REPORT THE INCIDENT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT?
B8
DID YOU TELL ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE OR GROUPS ABOUT
THE INCIDENT…?
B9
6

Winnings from a lottery

Yes

$250

No

No

Embarrassed, Didn't lose much money,
Didn't want to bother police
Friends/Family

HOW DISTRESSING WAS THIS INCIDENT?
B10
DID THE INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH
YOUR JOB OR SCHOOLWORK, OR TROUBLE WITH YOUR BOSS,
COWORKERS, OR PEERS?
B11
DID THIS INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH
FAMILY MEMBERS OR FRIENDS, INCLUDING GETTING INTO MORE
ARGUMENTS OR FIGHTS THAN YOU DID BEFORE, NOT FEELING YOU
COULD TRUST THEM AS MUCH, OR NOT FEELING AS CLOSE TO THEM
AS YOU DID BEFORE?
B12
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOU
TO MEET YOUR MONTHLY EXPENSES OR PAY YOUR BILLS?
B13
THINKING ABOUT THIS INCIDENT WHEN YOU PAID MONEY TO
RECEIVE A LARGE SUM OF MONEY BUT NEVER GOT WHAT YOU WERE
PROMISED, DO YOU THINK YOU WERE A VICTIM OF FRAUD?

4.2.2 PHANTOM DEBT COLLECTION FRAUD (A5)
None.

4.2.3 CHARITY FRAUD (A3+A9A=1)
None.

7

P17
Severely distressing
Yes

Yes

Very difficult
Yes

4.2.4 EMPLOYMENT FRAUD (A4)
Said ‘Yes’

1

Fraud (responses)

0

Fraud (narrative)

0

Screener Responses:
P7
A4A
HOW MANY TIMES HAS THIS HAPPENED IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS?
A4B
HAVE YOU GOTTEN ALL OF YOUR MONEY BACK FROM THE PERSON OR COMPANY YOU
INVESTED WITH?
A4C
HAVE YOU TRIED TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK?
A4D
ARE YOU STILL COMMUNICATING WITH THE PERSON OR COMPANY THAT TOOK YOUR
MONEY?
A4E
DO YOU THINK YOU WILL GET ALL OF YOUR MONEY BACK?
A10A
WAS THE MONEY FOR A GROUP OR CAUSE, OR WAS IT FOR AN INDIVIDUAL?
A10B
WAS THE MONEY COLLECTED THROUGH CROWDFUNDING FOR A CAUSE THAT WAS FAKE OR
DID NOT EXIST?
Difficulties:
None
Fraud Situations:
None – got money back.

8

1
Yes

No
No

4.2.5 INVESTMENT FRAUD (A1)
Said ‘Yes’

4

Fraud (responses)

3

Fraud (narrative)

4

Screener Responses:
A1A
HOW MANY TIMES HAS THIS HAPPENED IN THE PAST
12 MONTHS?
A1B
HAVE YOU GOTTEN ALL OF YOUR MONEY BACK FROM
THE PERSON OR COMPANY YOU INVESTED WITH?
A1C
HAVE YOU TRIED TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK?
A1D
ARE YOU STILL COMMUNICATING WITH THE PERSON
OR COMPANY THAT TOOK YOUR MONEY?
A1E
DO YOU THINK YOU WILL GET ALL OF YOUR MONEY
BACK?
A6A
DID THEY PROMISE YOU WOULD MAKE A LOT OF
MONEY IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME?
A6B
WERE YOU ASKED TO SELL A PRODUCT OR SERVICE?
A6C
WERE YOU ASKED TO GET NEW PEOPLE TO JOIN OR
INVEST?

P5

P7

P17

P18

1

1

1

1

No

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Yes

Fraud Situations:
•
•
•

P5: Made aware of an opportunity to receive a return on investment with a good company with other investors.
However, after investing, the company just closed up.
P7: Involved in a penny-stock scheme. (Should likely not be counted in fraud (responses) because P said they
thought they would get their money back [A1e=1]).
P17: (Only responded to Incident Form questions for Prize/Grant Fraud) Approached about a Foundation that
was created out of a couple’s lottery winnings. It was an opportunity for people to create bank accounts and
earn interest from those lottery winnings. He provided money to setup the “bank account” and to pay “banking
fees,” but never received any money in the account, as was promised. (Note: This is difficult because the money
was coming from “lottery winnings” (though not their own personal lottery winnings), they were putting money
up front to get interest in return, which suggested an “investment,” but they were not actually investing their
money, they were “paying” charges to open and maintain a bank account.)
9

•

P18: Was in a dance class and asked to invest money in a “women’s investment opportunity” and get 8 other
women to invest as well. After paying her money, she could not get 8 others to invest and went back to tell the
person, who simply said it fell through anyway. However, their money was never returned.

Difficulties:
•
•
4.2.5.1

P18 was not quite sure of the difference between “investing money” (A1) and “paying money” (A2).
P18 had slight difficulty answering some of the incident questions because it was just a group of people, not a
business that defrauded her.
S5 – CONSUMER INVESTMENT FRAUD INCIDENT FORM
P5

B1
WHICH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BEST
DESCRIBES THE TYPE OF INVESTMENT YOU
THOUGHT YOU WERE MAKING?
B2
HOW MUCH MONEY, ALTOGETHER, DID
YOU GIVE TO THIS PERSON OR COMPANY?
B3
DID YOU GET ANY OF THAT MONEY BACK,
EITHER ON YOUR OWN OR AFTER FILING A
CLAIM OR TAKING LEGAL ACTION?
B4
HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU GET BACK?
B5
DID YOU REPORT THE INCIDENT TO A LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, SUCH AS THE
LOCAL POLICE, A SHERIFF OR A FEDERAL
LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY?
B6
WHY DID YOU NOT REPORT THE INCIDENT
TO LAW ENFORCEMENT?

B7
DID YOU TELL ANY OF THE FOLLOWING
PEOPLE OR GROUPS ABOUT THE
INCIDENT…?
B8
HOW DISTRESSING WAS THIS INCIDENT?
B9
DID THE INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE
SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH YOUR JOB
OR SCHOOLWORK, OR TROUBLE WITH
YOUR BOSS, COWORKERS, OR PEERS?

P7

P18

Shares of a company
prior to the company
going public

A low valued stock,
also called a 'penny
stock'

Other: was investing
in myself, I had
hoped.

A couple
thousand…doesn't
want to say

$300

$100

No

Yes

No

$300
No

No

No

Other: Reported it to
the company

Got money back, took
care of it myself

Didn't know could
report, Other: this
was not a business, it
was a group of
people.

Family or friends; FTC;

Company's customer
service

Family or friends;
Other: complained on
social media site.

Not at all distressing

Moderately
distressing

Severely distressing

No

No

No

10

B10
DID THIS INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE
SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH FAMILY
MEMBERS OR FRIENDS, INCLUDING
GETTING INTO MORE ARGUMENTS OR
FIGHTS THAN YOU DID BEFORE, NOT
FEELING YOU COULD TRUST THEM AS
MUCH, OR NOT FEELING AS CLOSE TO
THEM AS YOU DID BEFORE?
B11
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT,
HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOU TO MEET
YOUR MONTHLY EXPENSES OR PAY YOUR
BILLS?
B12
THINKING ABOUT THIS INCIDENT WHEN
YOU PAID MONEY TO RECEIVE A LARGE
SUM OF MONEY BUT NEVER GOT WHAT
YOU WERE PROMISED, DO YOU THINK
YOU WERE A VICTIM OF FRAUD?

P5

P7

P18

No

No

No

Not at all difficult

Not at all difficult

Very difficult

Yes

Yes

Yes

11

4.2.6 CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FRAUD (A2+A7)
Said ‘Yes’

4*

Fraud (responses)

3

Fraud (narrative)

2

*One participant (P14) said their incident occurred more than 12 months ago, but for the sake of testing, we continued with this line
of questioning.
Screener Responses:
A2A
HOW MANY TIMES HAS THIS HAPPENED IN THE PAST
12 MONTHS?
A2B
HAVE YOU GOTTEN ALL OF YOUR MONEY BACK FROM
THE PERSON OR COMPANY YOU INVESTED WITH?
A2C
HAVE YOU TRIED TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK?
A2D
ARE YOU STILL COMMUNICATING WITH THE PERSON
OR COMPANY THAT TOOK YOUR MONEY?
A2E
DO YOU THINK YOU WILL GET ALL OF YOUR MONEY
BACK?
A7A
DID YOU PAY FOR A PRODUCT THAT WAS FAKE OR
THAT YOU NEVER RECEIVED?
A7B
DID YOU PAY FOR A SERVICE THAT WAS WORTHLESS,
UNNECESSARY, OR THAT YOU NEVER RECEIVED?
A7C
WERE YOU BILLED BY A PERSON OR COMPANY FOR
SOMETHING YOU DID NOT AUTHORIZE?
A7D
WERE YOU TOLD TO PAY MONEY UP FRONT IN ORDER
TO COLLECT EVEN MORE MONEY IN RETURN?
Fraud Situations:
•
•

P5

P14

P17

P18

2

1

1

2

1-Yes 2-Yes

No

No

1-No 2-Yes

Yes

Yes

1-Yes

No

No

1-No

No

No

1-No

Yes

Yes

Yes

DK

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

No

Yes

No

P5: Got money back.
P14: Someone contacted her by phone and promised her travel benefits for a fee. She provided her checking
account number but they took out the money from her savings account. They had a contact number for the
company, but after 2 months of trying and no answer, decided to stop. This person initially felt that the bank
had made an error in allowing the withdrawal to come from her savings account. It was when she tried to get
this money back from the company that she realized she had been defrauded.
12

•

•

P17: (Only responded to Incident Form questions for Prize/Grant Fraud) Approached about a Foundation that
was created out of a couple’s lottery winnings. It was an opportunity for people to create bank accounts and
earn interest from those lottery winnings. He provided money to setup the “bank account” and to pay “banking
fees,” but never received any money in the account, as was promised. (Note: This is difficult because the money
was coming from “lottery winnings” (though not their own personal lottery winnings), they were putting money
up front to get interest in return, which suggested an “investment,” but they were not actually investing their
money, they were “paying” charges to open and maintain a bank account.)
P18: She ordered something from ebay, but when the box arrived, it sounded like it was full of broken parts. She
tried to contact the seller, but received no answer. She would have reported it to ebay, but she did not file a
grievance in time. To our knowledge, she never opened the box. (Not counted in fraud (narrative) because this
does not sound like fraud.)

Difficulties:
•
•
•

4.2.6.1

P11 noted that A1 and A2 seemed similar (though they did not endorse either).
After hearing A2 read aloud, P14 thought it would have been more appropriate to her situation than A1, which
she had already responded to. Her answers were then moved to A2.
This is P17, which is a repeat of an incident reported in A1. However, this is tricky as he endorsed all of these
items but most of them made sense.
o A7a – paid for a product never received (a bank account)
o A7b – he paid for a service (banking fees) that he felt she should not have had to pay for.
o A7c – billed for the deposit fee (same as A7b)
o A7d – he was told to pay money up front (to pay for the bank account) to get more money in return (the
interest).

S6 – CONSUMER PRODUCTS AND SERVICES FRAUD INCIDENT FORM
P14

B2
WOULD YOU SAY YOU WERE TRYING TO PURCHASE A
PRODUCT OR A SERVICE?
B3
WHICH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BEST DESCRIBES THE
TYPE OF PRODUCT YOU WERE TRYING TO PURCHASE?
WAS IT…
B4
REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT WAS WORTHLESS OR A
SCAM, DID YOU RECEIVE AN ACTUAL PRODUCT?
B5
WHICH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BEST DESCRIBES THE
TYPE OF SERVICE YOU WERE TRYING TO PURCHASE?
WAS IT…….
B6
HOW MUCH MONEY, ALTOGETHER, DID YOU GIVE TO
THIS PERSON OR COMPANY?
B7
DID YOU GET ANY OF THAT MONEY BACK, EITHER ON
YOUR OWN OR AFTER FILING A CLAIM OR TAKING
LEGAL ACTION?

P18

Service

Product

Other: Travel benefits

Other: Culinary whipped
cream cartridges

Yes

A home, apartment, or
vacation rental service

13

$450

$19

No

No

B8
HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU GET BACK?
B9
DID YOU REPORT THE INCIDENT TO A LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, SUCH AS THE LOCAL POLICE,
A SHERIFF OR A FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY?
B10
WHY DID YOU NOT REPORT THE INCIDENT TO LAW
ENFORCEMENT?
B11
DID YOU TELL ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE OR
GROUPS ABOUT THE INCIDENT…?

P14

P18

No

No

Didn't know I could report it

Didn't know I could report it

Family or friends; Bank or
credit card company

Family or friends;
Company's customer
service; Other: the seller
directly

Moderately distressing

Moderately distressing

No

No

No

No

Not at all difficult

A little difficult

Yes

Yes

B12
HOW DISTRESSING WAS THIS INCIDENT?
B13
DID THE INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT
PROBLEMS WITH YOUR JOB OR SCHOOLWORK, OR
TROUBLE WITH YOUR BOSS, COWORKERS, OR PEERS?
B14
DID THIS INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT
PROBLEMS WITH FAMILY MEMBERS OR FRIENDS,
INCLUDING GETTING INTO MORE ARGUMENTS OR
FIGHTS THAN YOU DID BEFORE, NOT FEELING YOU
COULD TRUST THEM AS MUCH, OR NOT FEELING AS
CLOSE TO THEM AS YOU DID BEFORE?
B15
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, HOW
DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOU TO MEET YOUR MONTHLY
EXPENSES OR PAY YOUR BILLS?
B16
THINKING ABOUT THIS INCIDENT WHEN YOU PAID
MONEY TO RECEIVE A LARGE SUM OF MONEY BUT
NEVER GOT WHAT YOU WERE PROMISED, DO YOU
THINK YOU WERE A VICTIM OF FRAUD?

14

4.2.7 RELATIONSHIP/TRUST FRAUD (A3+A9A=2)
Said ‘Yes’

2

Fraud (responses)

2

Fraud (narrative)

1

Screener Responses:
P1

P9

2

3

All No

All No

All No

All No

All No

All No

All No

All No

Individual

Individual

A9D
DID THE PERSON PRETEND TO BE INTERESTED IN YOU
ROMANTICALLY?

No

No

A9E
DID THE PERSON CLAIM TO BE SOMEONE WHO KNEW YOU BUT YOU
LATER LEARNED THEY WERE A STRANGER?

No

No

A3A
HOW MANY TIMES HAS THIS HAPPENED IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS?
A3B
HAVE YOU GOTTEN ALL OF YOUR MONEY BACK FROM THE PERSON
OR COMPANY YOU INVESTED WITH?
A3C
HAVE YOU TRIED TO GET YOUR MONEY BACK?
A3D
ARE YOU STILL COMMUNICATING WITH THE PERSON OR COMPANY
THAT TOOK YOUR MONEY?
A3E
DO YOU THINK YOU WILL GET ALL OF YOUR MONEY BACK?
A9A
WAS THE MONEY FOR A GROUP OR CAUSE, OR WAS IT FOR AN
INDIVIDUAL?
A9B
WAS THE MONEY COLLECTED THROUGH CROWDFUNDING FOR A
CAUSE THAT WAS FAKE OR DID NOT EXIST?
A9C
DID THE PERSON OR GROUP CLAIM THEY BELONGED TO AN AGENCY
OR CHURCH THAT YOU LATER LEARNED WAS FAKE OR THAT THEY DID
NOT REALLY BELONG TO?

Fraud Situations:
•

P1: This person talked about giving money to strangers on the street but not knowing where it was really going.
He considered that fraud and felt that it fit into the screener. The incident questions in S7 were not asked
because they did not make sense to him (as the recipient was a stranger).
15

•

P9: A bunch of kids said they needed money for the homeless. He gave them money 3 different times before he
stopped. He said he found out they were using the money to buy drugs and alcohol.

Difficulties:
o

o

o

4.2.7.1

In both of these instances, the participants gave money to individuals they did not know, but these
strangers did not pretend to be family, friends, or romantically interested. This made the question
wording sometimes awkward to understand.
Current routing sent these folks down the path of relationship/trust fraud because they gave money to
individuals and not groups, but these individuals were seen as charity cases. According to the taxonomy,
these incidences should have been categorized as charity. This also would have made more sense to the
participants.
P9 was not sure how to answer how much money he gave them because he gave these people money 3
different times, even though the questions specifically asks “altogether”. He provided the total amount
of money he gave (which was $180).

S7 – RELATIONSHIP/TRUST FRAUD INCIDENT FORM
P9

B1
WAS THIS PERSON SOMEONE WHO SEEMED TO HAVE A ROMANTIC
INTEREST IN YOU?
B2
DID THE PERSON PRETEND TO BE A FAMILY MEMBER?
B3
WHICH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BEST DESCRIBES HOW WERE YOU FIRST
CONTACTED BY THIS PERSON?
B4
HOW DID YOU PROVIDE HIM OR HER WITH MONEY? FOR EXAMPLE, DID
YOU WIRE THEM MONEY, SEND IT THROUGH THE MAIL, MAKE A BANK
TRANSFER (ETC.)?
B5
WHAT FORM OF PAYMENT OR PAYMENTS DID YOU USE TO PROVIDE THE
MONEY? FOR EXAMPLE, DID YOU USE A CREDIT CARD, DEBIT CARD, PAY
BY CHECK, (ETC)?
B6
HOW MUCH MONEY, ALTOGETHER, DID YOU GIVE TO THIS PERSON OR
COMPANY?
B7
DID YOU GET ANY OF THAT MONEY BACK, EITHER ON YOUR OWN OR
AFTER FILING A CLAIM OR TAKING LEGAL ACTION?
B8
HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU GET BACK?
B9
DID YOU REPORT THE INCIDENT TO A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, SUCH
AS THE LOCAL POLICE, A SHERIFF OR A FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT
AGENCY?
B10
16

No
No
Some other way: Stranger on the
street.
Paid the person face-to-face

Cash

$180

No

No

WHY DID YOU NOT REPORT THE INCIDENT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT?
B11
DID YOU TELL ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE OR GROUPS ABOUT THE
INCIDENT…?
B12
HOW DISTRESSING WAS THIS INCIDENT?
B13
DID THE INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH
YOUR JOB OR SCHOOLWORK, OR TROUBLE WITH YOUR BOSS,
COWORKERS, OR PEERS?
B14
DID THIS INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH
FAMILY MEMBERS OR FRIENDS, INCLUDING GETTING INTO MORE
ARGUMENTS OR FIGHTS THAN YOU DID BEFORE, NOT FEELING YOU
COULD TRUST THEM AS MUCH, OR NOT FEELING AS CLOSE TO THEM AS
YOU DID BEFORE?
B15
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOU TO
MEET YOUR MONTHLY EXPENSES OR PAY YOUR BILLS?
B16
THINKING ABOUT THIS INCIDENT WHEN YOU PAID MONEY TO RECEIVE A
LARGE SUM OF MONEY BUT NEVER GOT WHAT YOU WERE PROMISED, DO
YOU THINK YOU WERE A VICTIM OF FRAUD?

17

P9
Did not want to get offender in
trouble; did not want to get police
involved.
Family or friends

Not at all distressing
No

No

Not at all difficult

Yes

4.3 V4 SCREENER AND SURVEY FINDINGS
4.3.1 PRIZE/GRANT FRAUD (S1)
Said ‘Yes’

1

Fraud (responses)

1

Fraud (narrative)

1

Screener Responses:
P6
S1A
HOW MANY TIMES DID THIS HAPPEN IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS?
S1B
(HOW MANY OF THESE INCIDENTS) DID YOU GET ALL OF THE MONEY YOU WERE PROMISED?

1
No

Fraud Situations:
•

P6: Received an offer to get an iPad tablet and he was only required to pay the shipping cost to claim it. He paid
the shipping cost and waited a month or so before contacting the seller to find out if the shipment had been
delayed. After he stopped receiving replies from the seller, he did an internet search and found out that it was a
scam.

Difficulties:
•

4.3.1.1

In this situation, the prize was an iPad, not a sum of money. The way the question is worded, it sounds as if we
are only asking about money.
S1 – PRIZE/GRANT FRAUD INCIDENT FORM
P6

B1
WHICH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BEST DESCRIBES THE MONEY OR
PRIZE YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO RECEIVE? WAS IT….
B2
WERE YOU TOLD THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO PAY A DEPOSIT, TAXES,
OR A FEE IN ORDER TO GET THE MONEY OR PRIZE YOU WERE
SUPPOSED TO RECEIVE?
B3
HOW MUCH MONEY, ALTOGETHER, DID YOU GIVE TO THIS PERSON
OR COMPANY?
B4
DID YOU GET ANY OF THAT MONEY BACK, EITHER ON YOUR OWN OR
AFTER FILING A CLAIM OR TAKING LEGAL ACTION?
18

Winnings from a sweepstakes, raffle, or
promotion
Yes

$79

No

P6
B5
HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU GET BACK?
B6
DID YOU REPORT THE INCIDENT TO A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY,
SUCH AS THE LOCAL POLICE, A SHERIFF OR A FEDERAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY?
B7
WHY DID YOU NOT REPORT THE INCIDENT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT?
B8
DID YOU TELL ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE OR GROUPS ABOUT
THE INCIDENT…?
B9
HOW DISTRESSING WAS THIS INCIDENT?
B10
DID THE INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH
YOUR JOB OR SCHOOLWORK, OR TROUBLE WITH YOUR BOSS,
COWORKERS, OR PEERS?
B11
DID THIS INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH
FAMILY MEMBERS OR FRIENDS, INCLUDING GETTING INTO MORE
ARGUMENTS OR FIGHTS THAN YOU DID BEFORE, NOT FEELING YOU
COULD TRUST THEM AS MUCH, OR NOT FEELING AS CLOSE TO THEM
AS YOU DID BEFORE?
B12
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOU
TO MEET YOUR MONTHLY EXPENSES OR PAY YOUR BILLS?
B13
THINKING ABOUT THIS INCIDENT WHEN YOU PAID MONEY TO
RECEIVE A LARGE SUM OF MONEY BUT NEVER GOT WHAT YOU WERE
PROMISED, DO YOU THINK YOU WERE A VICTIM OF FRAUD?

19

Yes

Family or friends; Company's customer
service
Moderately distressing
No

No

Not at all difficult

Yes

4.3.2 PHANTOM DEBT COLLECTION FRAUD (S2)
Said ‘Yes’

1

Fraud (responses)

1

Fraud (narrative)

1

Screener Responses:
P2
S2A
HOW MANY TIMES DID THIS HAPPEN IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS?

1

Fraud Situations:
•

P2: Had an outstanding phone bill (~$1,000) that she never paid. A third party offered to settle the bill for less
than the cost of the bill ($400), but it turned out to be fraud. She was able to get $200 back from them, but that
was it. She strongly felt that they accessed her credit report and found out about the old bill she never paid from
when she was ~18 (she is currently in her 30s) and that is how they targeted her.

Difficulties:
•

4.3.2.1

She thought this could fall under the “loan” category on S2B2, but it was a settlement offer so she went with
“other.”

S2 – PHANTOM DEBT COLLECTION FRAUD INCIDENT FORM
P2

B1
WHICH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BEST DESCRIBES THE TYPE OF DEBT
YOU WERE TOLD YOU OWED. WAS IT DEBT DUE TO…
B2
HOW MUCH MONEY, ALTOGETHER, DID YOU GIVE TO THIS PERSON
OR COMPANY?
B3
DID YOU GET ANY OF THAT MONEY BACK, EITHER ON YOUR OWN OR
AFTER FILING A CLAIM OR TAKING LEGAL ACTION?
B4
HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU GET BACK?
B5
DID YOU REPORT THE INCIDENT TO A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY,
SUCH AS THE LOCAL POLICE, A SHERIFF OR A FEDERAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY?
B6
WHY DID YOU NOT REPORT THE INCIDENT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT?
B7
20

Other: Cell phone bill settlement

$400

Yes

$200
Yes

DID YOU TELL ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE OR GROUPS ABOUT
THE INCIDENT…?
B8
HOW DISTRESSING WAS THIS INCIDENT?
B9
DID THE INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH
YOUR JOB OR SCHOOLWORK, OR TROUBLE WITH YOUR BOSS,
COWORKERS, OR PEERS?
B10
DID THIS INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH
FAMILY MEMBERS OR FRIENDS, INCLUDING GETTING INTO MORE
ARGUMENTS OR FIGHTS THAN YOU DID BEFORE, NOT FEELING YOU
COULD TRUST THEM AS MUCH, OR NOT FEELING AS CLOSE TO THEM
AS YOU DID BEFORE?
B11
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOU
TO MEET YOUR MONTHLY EXPENSES OR PAY YOUR BILLS?
B12
THINKING ABOUT THIS INCIDENT WHEN YOU PAID MONEY TO
RECEIVE A LARGE SUM OF MONEY BUT NEVER GOT WHAT YOU WERE
PROMISED, DO YOU THINK YOU WERE A VICTIM OF FRAUD?

21

P2
Family or friends, Company's customer
service
Moderately distressing
No

No

Not at all difficult
Yes

4.3.3 CHARITY FRAUD (S3)
Said ‘Yes’

4

Fraud (responses)

4

Fraud (narrative)

4

Screener Responses:
S3A
HOW MANY TIMES DID THIS HAPPEN IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS?

P4

P6

P13

P15

1

1

1

1

Fraud Situations:
•
•
•
•

P4: She donated money to a GoFundMe page for a sick person who she later found out was not ill.
P6: A friend moved back up to Canada and set up a GoFundMe for their medical bills and things like that. This
person donated money and later found out that none of their story was true.
P13: Donated to a GoFundMe for a dog shelter that ended up being fake. When she went back to check the
website, it was gone.
P15: Gave money to a large GoFundMe page for a dog sanctuary that was not real.

Difficulties:
•

4.3.3.1

Though all of these happened through a website like GoFundMe or Kickstarter, one of the participants had not
heard the term “crowdfunding” before.

S3 – CHARITY FRAUD INCIDENT FORM

B1
WAS THE DONATION SUPPOSED TO BE GOING TO
AN ORGANIZATION?
B2
DID YOU MAKE THIS DONATION THROUGH A
CROWDFUNDING WEBSITE LIKE GOFUNDME OR
KICKSTARTER?
B3
HOW MUCH MONEY, ALTOGETHER, DID YOU GIVE
TO THIS PERSON OR COMPANY?
B4
DID YOU GET ANY OF THAT MONEY BACK, EITHER
ON YOUR OWN OR AFTER FILING A CLAIM OR
TAKING LEGAL ACTION?
B5
HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU GET BACK?
B6

P4

P6

P13

P15

No

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

$50

$100

$25

$100

No

No

No

No

22

DID YOU REPORT THE INCIDENT TO A LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, SUCH AS THE LOCAL
POLICE, A SHERIFF OR A FEDERAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY?
B7
WHY DID YOU NOT REPORT THE INCIDENT TO
LAW ENFORCEMENT?
B8
DID YOU TELL ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE
OR GROUPS ABOUT THE INCIDENT…?

B9
HOW DISTRESSING WAS THIS INCIDENT?
B10
DID THE INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE
SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH YOUR JOB OR
SCHOOLWORK, OR TROUBLE WITH YOUR BOSS,
COWORKERS, OR PEERS?
B11
DID THIS INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE
SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH FAMILY MEMBERS
OR FRIENDS, INCLUDING GETTING INTO MORE
ARGUMENTS OR FIGHTS THAN YOU DID BEFORE,
NOT FEELING YOU COULD TRUST THEM AS MUCH,
OR NOT FEELING AS CLOSE TO THEM AS YOU DID
BEFORE?
B12
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, HOW
DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOU TO MEET YOUR
MONTHLY EXPENSES OR PAY YOUR BILLS?
B13
THINKING ABOUT THIS INCIDENT WHEN YOU
PAID MONEY TO RECEIVE A LARGE SUM OF
MONEY BUT NEVER GOT WHAT YOU WERE
PROMISED, DO YOU THINK YOU WERE A VICTIM
OF FRAUD?

P4
No

P6
No

P13
No

P15
No

Too
inconvenient

Didn't seem
important
enough

Just thought I
was donating
money

Didn't think it
would do any
good.

Family or
friends

none

Family or
friends;
Better
Business
Bureau

Family or
friends

Mildly
distressing

Moderately
distressing

Moderately
distressing

Moderately
distressing

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

Not at all
difficult

Not at all
difficult

Not at all
difficult

Not at all
difficult

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

23

4.3.4 EMPLOYMENT FRAUD (S4)
Said ‘Yes’

3*

Fraud (responses)

2

Fraud (narrative)

3*

*One participant (P16) was almost involved in an employment situation where she was asked to pay money up front. She did not pay
the money so she answered ‘No’ to S4, but since she had a similar experience, the interviewer went through the questions with her
anyway to receive feedback.
Screener Responses:
S4A
HOW MANY TIMES DID THIS HAPPEN IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS?
S4B
(HOW MANY OF THESE INCIDENTS) DID YOU GET ALL OF YOUR MONEY BACK FROM
THE PERSON OR COMPANY WITHOUT FILING A CLAIM OR TAKING LEGAL ACTION?
S4C
WHEN YOU DIDN'T GET YOUR MONEY BACK, DID YOU TRY TO GET IT BACK?
S4D
DO YOU THINK THERE IS A CHANCE THE PERSON OR COMPANY MIGHT STILL GIVE
YOU ALL OF YOUR MONEY BACK?

P2

P6

P15

2

1

1

1

No

No

Yes

Yes

No

No

No/DK

Fraud Situations:
•

•

•

•

P2: Met a man at the local mall who was representing a modeling agency. They were doing a casting call for a
fashion show. It seemed legit and they really liked her. They offered her a contract and she paid $200 to
participate. She was asked to go to another event which she and another woman attended, but no one was
there. They realized that it was a fraud and they could not find the guy again.
P6: There was an offer for a job placement at a training course for auto sales and he was trying to get back into
auto sales at the time. He paid the money for that course and never received any notifications of the classes or
job placement. He was also unable to contact customer service. He got no responses to his contact attempts and
they disappeared.
P15: Paid to take a course and get a certification as a medical marijuana dispensary agent. These people
guaranteed a certification and a job. However, once she got the certification and went into dispensaries, she
was told that her certificate did not mean anything. There was no follow-up from the company afterwards.
P16*: Two months ago she sent her resume to a shell corporation inside a shell corporation and was selected for
an interview. She went in for an interview and they told her if she chose to move forward she would have to pay
for licensure and training materials, with promises of reimbursement for a portion of the materials. She did not
go any further with it, but she had gone through 2 interviews with them.

Difficulties:
•

In the screener, P15 said they did not try to get their money back, so this was not counted as fraud in Fraud
(responses). However, the interviewer continued with the incident questions to obtain feedback.
24

•

4.3.4.1

In the interview with P6, at the end of the questions for this incident, he noted that he tried to contact customer
service. The interviewer noted that this was the first they had heard of this and realized when the participant
was previously asked about customer service, the question was worded, “Did you tell any of the following
people or groups about the incident…?” The participant had responded “no” to this question because they were
unable to reach customer service and, therefore, unable to tell them about the incident. There is no place in the
survey to record unsuccessful contact attempts like this.
S4 – EMPLOYMENT FRAUD INCIDENT FORM

B1
DID THE MONEY YOU LOST GO TO SOMEONE
WHO…
WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HELPING YOU START
YOUR OWN BUSINESS?
B2
(DID THE MONEY YOU LOST GO TO SOMEONE
WHO…)
PROMISED TO HELP YOU MAKE MONEY WHILE
YOU WORKED FROM HOME?
B3
(DID THE MONEY YOU LOST GO TO SOMEONE
WHO…)
PROMISED TO HELP YOU GET A GOVERNMENT
JOB?
B4
HOW MUCH MONEY, ALTOGETHER, DID YOU
GIVE TO THIS PERSON OR COMPANY?
B5
DID YOU GET ANY OF THAT MONEY BACK, EITHER
ON YOUR OWN OR AFTER FILING A CLAIM OR
TAKING LEGAL ACTION?
B6
HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU GET BACK?
B7
DID YOU REPORT THE INCIDENT TO A LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, SUCH AS THE LOCAL
POLICE, A SHERIFF OR A FEDERAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY?
B8
WHY DID YOU NOT REPORT THE INCIDENT TO
LAW ENFORCEMENT?

P2

P6

P15

P16*

No

No

No

No

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

No

$200

$170

$200

(they wanted $200-$300
up front)

No

No

No

Yes

No

No

No

Did not
seem
important
enough;
did not
want to
take the
time

Did not
think it
would do
any good

Other: She looked them
up on the better
business bureau and
they seemed legitimate,
but they didn't practice
business in an ethical
manner.

B9

25

DID YOU TELL ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE
OR GROUPS ABOUT THE INCIDENT…?

B10
HOW DISTRESSING WAS THIS INCIDENT?

P2
Family or
friends

P6
Company's
customer
service,
Better
Business
Bureau

P15
Family or
friends

Mildly
Moderately
Mildly
distressing distressing distressing

P16*
Family or friends,
Company's customer
service;

Moderately distressing

B11
DID THE INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE
No
No
No
No
SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH YOUR JOB OR
SCHOOLWORK, OR TROUBLE WITH YOUR BOSS,
COWORKERS, OR PEERS?
B12
DID THIS INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE
No
No
No
No
SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH FAMILY MEMBERS
OR FRIENDS, INCLUDING GETTING INTO MORE
ARGUMENTS OR FIGHTS THAN YOU DID BEFORE,
NOT FEELING YOU COULD TRUST THEM AS
MUCH, OR NOT FEELING AS CLOSE TO THEM AS
YOU DID BEFORE?
B13
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, HOW
Not at all
Not at all
Not at all
DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOU TO MEET YOUR
difficult
difficult
difficult
MONTHLY EXPENSES OR PAY YOUR BILLS?
B14
THINKING ABOUT THIS INCIDENT WHEN YOU
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes (if had given them
PAID MONEY TO RECEIVE A LARGE SUM OF
money)
MONEY BUT NEVER GOT WHAT YOU WERE
PROMISED, DO YOU THINK YOU WERE A VICTIM
OF FRAUD?
*Did not actually provide money; stopped the process when she got to that point. However, because of her experience, interviewer

went ahead and asked these follow-up questions for feedback.

26

4.3.5 CONSUMER INVESTMENT FRAUD (S5)
Said ‘Yes’

1

Fraud (responses)

1

Fraud (narrative)

0

Screener Responses:
P6
S5A
HOW MANY TIMES DID THIS HAPPEN IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS?
S5B
(FOR HOW MANY OF THESE INCIDENTS) DO YOU BELIEVE THE INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITY WAS
MADE UP OR THAT YOUR MONEY WAS NEVER INVESTED AT ALL?

2
1

Fraud Situations:
None
Difficulties:
•

•

P6 felt that this question was so broad that it could encapsulate the previous two questions. When he heard the
probe asking his thoughts if we changed this question to “invested money with a person or company that
promised you a guaranteed return or promised you would not lose any money,” he said this version was clearer.
Had he heard that question instead of the one currently in the survey, he would not have said yes to this
question. Therefore, the interviewer did not ask the corresponding incident questions.
Another participant who did not endorse this type of fraud felt that the question wording provided in the probe
made them think of a scam where the original question wording had not.

27

4.3.6 CONSUMER PRODUCTS OR SERVICES FRAUD (S6)
Said ‘Yes’

3

Fraud (responses)

3

Fraud (narrative)

1

Screener Responses:
S6A
HOW MANY TIMES DID THIS HAPPEN IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS?
S6B
(HOW MANY OF THESE INCIDENTS) DID YOU GET ALL OF YOUR MONEY
BACK FROM THE PERSON OR COMPANY WITHOUT FILING A CLAIM OR
TAKING LEGAL ACTION?
S6C
WHEN YOU DIDN'T GET YOUR MONEY BACK, DID YOU TRY TO GET IT BACK?
S6D
DO YOU THINK THERE IS A CHANCE THE PERSON OR COMPANY MIGHT
STILL GIVE YOU ALL OF YOUR MONEY BACK?

P10

P12

P13

1

2

1

No

1

No

Yes

Yes

Yes

DK

No

No

Fraud Situations:
•

•

•

P10: Ordered a panini press from Macy’s and never received it. The post office had shipped it back to the
warehouse because he had moved. Two months later, it was never delivered, he got the runaround to different
post offices. The store and post office all say it has been delivered. Used PayPal to pay so has spoken to them
and they are investigating. In the meantime, he gets something in the mail from the post office saying there is a
package there for him but there is $17 due in order to receive it. He has not gone to get it yet, but he does not
plan on paying any more. He did admit that he did not think this was fraud (S6B16=2). Not counted as fraud in
Fraud (narrative).
P12: Signed up for a dating service and found out the website was more risqué than expected and decided he
did not want to be a part of it. He had given them his information over the phone before checking the website.
He said the website was poorly made and that was when he realized he had made a mistake. He contacted the
company and bank almost immediately. Bank refunded his money but took it back after an investigation. Not
counted as fraud in Fraud (narrative).
P13: Bought filters for an evaporative cooler from a cheaper company overseas and never received them. She
got her money back from the credit card company.

Difficulties:
•

It was interesting that P12 got their money back from the bank, but after an investigation, the bank took the
money back and ruled against his claim. He answered the questions correctly that he did not get his money back
(even though he had temporarily).

28

4.3.6.1

S6 – CONSUMER PRODUCTS OR SERVICES FRAUD INCIDENT FORM
P10

B2
WOULD YOU SAY YOU WERE TRYING TO PURCHASE
A PRODUCT OR A SERVICE?
B3
WHICH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BEST DESCRIBES
THE TYPE OF PRODUCT YOU WERE TRYING TO
PURCHASE? WAS IT…
B4
REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT WAS WORTHLESS OR
A SCAM, DID YOU RECEIVE AN ACTUAL PRODUCT?
B5
WHICH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BEST DESCRIBES
THE TYPE OF SERVICE YOU WERE TRYING TO
PURCHASE? WAS IT…….
B6
HOW MUCH MONEY, ALTOGETHER, DID YOU GIVE
TO THIS PERSON OR COMPANY?
B7
DID YOU GET ANY OF THAT MONEY BACK, EITHER
ON YOUR OWN OR AFTER FILING A CLAIM OR
TAKING LEGAL ACTION?
B8
HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU GET BACK?
B9
DID YOU REPORT THE INCIDENT TO A LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, SUCH AS THE LOCAL
POLICE, A SHERIFF OR A FEDERAL LAW
ENFORCEMENT AGENCY?
B10
WHY DID YOU NOT REPORT THE INCIDENT TO LAW
ENFORCEMENT?
B11
DID YOU TELL ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE OR
GROUPS ABOUT THE INCIDENT…?

B12
HOW DISTRESSING WAS THIS INCIDENT?
B13
DID THE INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT
PROBLEMS WITH YOUR JOB OR SCHOOLWORK, OR
TROUBLE WITH YOUR BOSS, COWORKERS, OR
PEERS?

Product

P12

P13

Service

Product

Other: Panini Press

Other: filters

No

No

Something else:
Dating service
$68

$50-$100

$8.95

No

No

Yes

$8.95
No

No

Wasn't sure it was Didn't know I could
a crime; other: was
report it
a consumer issue

No

Didn't want to
bother police

Family and friends;
Company's
customer service;
Someone else Post office

Family or friends;
Bank or credit card
company;
Company's
customer service

Family or friends;
Bank of credit card
company; Better
Business Bureau

Moderately
distressing

Moderately
distressing

Moderately
distressing

No

No

No

29

B14
DID THIS INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE
SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH FAMILY MEMBERS
OR FRIENDS, INCLUDING GETTING INTO MORE
ARGUMENTS OR FIGHTS THAN YOU DID BEFORE,
NOT FEELING YOU COULD TRUST THEM AS MUCH,
OR NOT FEELING AS CLOSE TO THEM AS YOU DID
BEFORE?
B15
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, HOW
DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOU TO MEET YOUR MONTHLY
EXPENSES OR PAY YOUR BILLS?
B16
THINKING ABOUT THIS INCIDENT WHEN YOU PAID
MONEY TO RECEIVE A LARGE SUM OF MONEY BUT
NEVER GOT WHAT YOU WERE PROMISED, DO YOU
THINK YOU WERE A VICTIM OF FRAUD?

P10

P12

P13

No

No

No

Not at all difficult

A little difficult

Not at all difficult

No

Yes

Yes

30

4.3.7 RELATIONSHIP/TRUST FRAUD (S7)
Said ‘Yes’

1

Fraud (responses)

1

Fraud (narrative)

1

Screener Responses:
P8
S7A
HOW MANY TIMES DID THIS HAPPEN IN THE PAST 12 MONTHS?

1

Fraud Situations:
•

P8: He was a victim of marriage fraud. He had been married to a woman for 10 years, paid for everything, all
bills, her car payments, etc. He later found out that she was a Swedish millionaire, had multiple social security
cards, fake passports, and had committed fraud in both the US and Sweden. This has resulted in years of
investigations from multiple agencies who have said there was not enough money involved to pursue her.

Difficulties:
•

•

•

4.3.7.1

There was some difficulty with the time frame. The participant said this happened in the past 12 months
because all things were settled about 11 months ago. However, he had been divorced from this woman for a
few years by that point, so though he was still dealing with the fallout from this situation, he was not paying for
anything for his ex-wife 12 months ago.
He had difficulty describing the form of payment because he did not necessarily “pay her” but he paid for her
expenses, bills, cost of living, etc. for about 10 years. He used his credit card, ATM card and cash to pay for these
things.
He had contacted a number of agencies beyond what was listed in S7B11 to report her for multiple types of
fraud. When asked if he told with family or friends, he shared that he has a blog all about it. He brought folders
full of legal documents with him. Given the nature of their relationship, it was awkward when asked if he
contacted “Company’s customer service,” “FTC,” “BBB,” “IC3,” or “FINRA.”
S7 – RELATIONSHIP/TRUST FRAUD INCIDENT FORM
P8

B1
WAS THIS PERSON SOMEONE WHO SEEMED TO HAVE A ROMANTIC INTEREST IN
YOU?
B2
DID THE PERSON PRETEND TO BE A FAMILY MEMBER?
B3
WHICH ONE OF THE FOLLOWING BEST DESCRIBES HOW WERE YOU FIRST
CONTACTED BY THIS PERSON?
B4

31

Yes

Through a chat room

HOW DID YOU PROVIDE HIM OR HER WITH MONEY? FOR EXAMPLE, DID YOU WIRE
THEM MONEY, SEND IT THROUGH THE MAIL, MAKE A BANK TRANSFER (ETC.)?
B5
WHAT FORM OF PAYMENT OR PAYMENTS DID YOU USE TO PROVIDE THE MONEY?
FOR EXAMPLE, DID YOU USE A CREDIT CARD, DEBIT CARD, PAY BY CHECK, (ETC)?
B6
HOW MUCH MONEY, ALTOGETHER, DID YOU GIVE TO THIS PERSON OR COMPANY?
B7
DID YOU GET ANY OF THAT MONEY BACK, EITHER ON YOUR OWN OR AFTER FILING
A CLAIM OR TAKING LEGAL ACTION?
B8
HOW MUCH MONEY DID YOU GET BACK?
B9
DID YOU REPORT THE INCIDENT TO A LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY, SUCH AS THE
LOCAL POLICE, A SHERIFF OR A FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCY?
B10
WHY DID YOU NOT REPORT THE INCIDENT TO LAW ENFORCEMENT?
B11
DID YOU TELL ANY OF THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE OR GROUPS ABOUT THE
INCIDENT…?

B12
HOW DISTRESSING WAS THIS INCIDENT?
B13
DID THE INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH YOUR JOB OR
SCHOOLWORK, OR TROUBLE WITH YOUR BOSS, COWORKERS, OR PEERS?
B14
DID THIS INCIDENT LEAD YOU TO HAVE SIGNIFICANT PROBLEMS WITH FAMILY
MEMBERS OR FRIENDS, INCLUDING GETTING INTO MORE ARGUMENTS OR FIGHTS
THAN YOU DID BEFORE, NOT FEELING YOU COULD TRUST THEM AS MUCH, OR NOT
FEELING AS CLOSE TO THEM AS YOU DID BEFORE?
B15
AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THIS INCIDENT, HOW DIFFICULT IS IT FOR YOU TO MEET
YOUR MONTHLY EXPENSES OR PAY YOUR BILLS?
B16
THINKING ABOUT THIS INCIDENT WHEN YOU PAID MONEY TO RECEIVE A LARGE
SUM OF MONEY BUT NEVER GOT WHAT YOU WERE PROMISED, DO YOU THINK YOU
WERE A VICTIM OF FRAUD?

32

P8
Paid the person face-to-face;
Other: bought her things
Credit card, debit or ATM
card, cash.
10s of thousands, $50,000
minimum
No

Yes

Family or friends, lawyer,
bank or credit card company,
CFPB, IRS, Others: FBI, INS,
ICE, AG, Swedish tax
department and police
department
Severely distressing
No

Yes

Pretty difficult

Yes

5 RECOMMENDATIONS
When comparing the outcomes from the administrations of V3 and V4, it is difficult to tell if one version worked better
than the other. V3 was designed to whittle down to Level 3 of the fraud taxonomy through a few follow-up questions.
Though the questions worked conceptually, in practice, there was more confusion than there was clarification. It is clear
that one fraudulent incident can have aspects of multiple types of fraud, making it extremely challenging to categorize a
specific type of fraud in only a few questions. That being said, we would recommend moving forward with V4.
Due to the variety of ways a person can be defrauded and the many avenues of communication today’s technology
allows, it is difficult to anticipate all of the fraudulent situations that will be reported. Below are a few recommendations
intended to help guide respondents through the survey and down the correct path.
•
•

•
•

•

•

Consider revising the wording in S5. The suggested wording in follow-up probe 16 evoked a greater
understanding of the types of situations that should be considered.
It was not clear how (or if) giving money to strangers on the street should be considered fraud. We recommend
either making a clear path for these cases (likely to Charity Fraud) or being specific about excluding them (we
tend to favor the latter option here).
Clarify whether Prize/Grant Fraud should include non-monetary prizes, such as the iPad one participant was told
they won and for which they just had to pay shipping to receive, but never did.
Consider whether or not being defrauded out of personal financial information should count as fraud. Even
though a specific sum of money was not handed over, personal information allowing access to the participant’s
finances was provided under false pretense.
In a few cases, describing the form(s) of payment was difficult for participants because they provided money on
the spot. We recommend revising some of the questions to be mindful of the possibility of in-person
transactions.
It may be useful to include a question asking about any people or agencies someone may have attempted to
contact, but they were unsuccessful in doing so (for example, company customer service, individual seller, etc.).
In many of these instances, the participant realized they were a victim of fraud after they could not get in touch
with someone.

One final thought for consideration is related to the possibility of participants endorsing a screener question and later
deciding their situation fit better in another category. Considering that some of our participants changed their minds
about their responses after hearing subsequent questions, it may be helpful to share the seven different types of fraud
with participants at the beginning of this section so they know what is coming. This may help minimize the need for
interviewers to back track if a participant changes their mind. It might also help by conveying the meaning of the types
of things we will be asking about, which will give respondents some insights and/or guardrails that might help them
answer more accurately.

33