August 20th, 2021, Maria Jose Contreras
Challenge
Understand the frequency of digital technology scams and to measure the impact on consumers.
Solution
A nationally representative study conducted in 16 markets, completed in 11 days.
Results
Detailed analysis and reporting of the findings, including delivery to client leadership.
Business challenge
The client, a global software company, sought to understand digital technology scams, the methodologies of scammers, the financial falloutfor tech scam victims, and the infrastructure of criminal operations.
The client had conducted similar research in the past with a different partner, and required YouGov to provide additional trend analysis to identify key areas of progress in scam prevention as well as focus areas for protecting consumers in the future.
Solution
Leveraging its proprietary owned panel of more than 15 million people worldwide, YouGov designed, optimized, and conducted a 10-minute web-based survey. The nationally representative survey was completed by 1,000 teen and adult internet users in the 16 target markets. YouGov cleaned and weighted the survey results and translated responses in non-English speaking markets.
The data collection process took just under two weeks and responses were available to see and download in real-time using YouGov’s data analysis and visualization tool. YouGov analyzed and reported on trends across all geographies and demographics surveyed, highlighting key results in a summary report as well as 16 additional region-specific reports.
Results
Some key highlights from the report include:
- Three of five consumers encountered a tech support scam in the last 12 months
- One of six consumers was tricked into continuing with the scam, often leading to victims losing hundreds of dollars to the fraudsters
- Millennials (aged 24-37) and Gen Z (aged 18-23) have the highest exposure to tech support scams.
The detailed reporting assisted the client in acting as a protector of consumer interests, guiding awareness campaigns through both direct consumer outreach and policy advocacy.