Consumer Fraud Survey -- Comparison between FTC 2016 and 2011 Surveys

Table 1: Correspondence Between Questions in Proposed 2016 Fraud Survey and the 2011 Survey

2016 Questions

Comparable 2011
Questions

Discussion

INTRO1 – INTRO3
(pp. 5-9)

Intro through QC6
(pp. 1 -3),
Q74
(p. 47)

Introductory material, determine whether the call is on a cell or landline phone, determine proper person to
interview, age, etc.
Text differs because the proposed contractor on this survey is a different company from the one we used last time.

Q1 – Q5_4
(pp. 10 – 13)

Q1 – Q6.2
(pp. 4 – 6)

General questions about purchases or contributions made in response to different high-risk media presentations.
Q4_1 was altered to ask about responses to radio ads in addition to TV ads

Read #1a
(p. 14)

Intro on p. 7

No changes

Q6_1 – Q7_11
(pp. 14 – 23)

Q11.1 – Q11.6b
(pp. 8-9)
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and follow-ups

Q6_7 – The wording was modified to make clear that we are looking for representations made before a payment
was made and not after.

Q8_1 – Q9_11
(pp. 23 – 29)

Q13.1 – Q13a
(p. 10)
and follow-ups

No changes were made.

Q10_1 – Q11_11
(pp. 29 – 35)

Q14.1 – Q14.2
(pp. 10-11)
and follow-ups

No changes were made.

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The follow-up questions in the 2011 survey instrument (Q62 – Q68) are on pages 42 and 43 of the 2011 instrument. They were asked in connection with the
various frauds as appropriate and responses were collected separately for each type of fraud. In the new proposed survey instrument, the questions are written
out separately for each fraud, with the follow-ons being odd-numbered questions, e.g., Q7_1 – Q7_11. As in the previous survey, not all of the follow-up
questions were asked for frauds where some of the questions did not seem appropriate. In addition, in some cases, the questions are asked in a different order
than in others.
Changes to these questions are as noted below, using the Q7 series for reference:
Q7_1
Added “from a friend or family member” as a response option, changed “from a telemarketer” to “from a telephone call (telemarketer)
Q7_9 – Q7_9a Questions about how a payment was made to include additional payment methods and to collect additional detail about payments made by wire
transfer.
Q7_10
Language was altered to make clear that we are interested in informal complaints as well as formal ones.
In addition, questions that asked about attempts to get a person to pay – Q64b – Q65b (pp. 43 – 44 in the 2011 survey) were eliminated.

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2016 Questions

Comparable 2011
Questions

Discussion

Q12_1 – Q13_11
(pp. 35 – 41)

Q15.1 – Q15a
(pp. 11 – 12)
and follow-ups

No changes were made.

Q14_1 – Q15_11
(pp. 41 – 47)

Q16.1 – Q17b
(pp. 12 -13)
and follow-ups

No changes were made.

Q16_1 – Q17_11
(pp. 48 – 57)

Q16a.1.a – Q16a.8
(pp. 13 -16)
and follow-ups

Q16_1 combines previous Q16a.1.a and Q16a.1.b because the proposed contractor for this survey felt things
would be smoother this way.

Q18a – Q18b
(pp. 58 – 59)

Q18.1, Q19.1,
Q21.1, Q22.1
(pp. 17 – 20)

Q18a is similar to Q18.1 in the previous survey. Wording has been changed to make clearer that we are
interested in cases in which a charge has been placed on a consumer’s credit card statement, etc.
Q18b asks about the type of situation in which this occurred. In the previous survey, these questions were asked
separately at the beginning of each set of questions. Potential contractor thought this organization would work
better.

Q18_2 – Q19_11
(pp. 59 – 65)

Q19.2 – Q19a
(p. 18),
Q26 – Q27
(pp. 21 – 22),
and follow-ups

The wording of Q18_2 was revised to make clear that we are asking about unauthorized billing for Internet
services since the question about whether consumer received an unauthorized bill for Internet services may not
immediately proceed this group of questions.

Q20_2 – Q21_11
(pp. 66 – 71)

New questions

Q22_2 – Q23_11
(pp. 72 – 78)

Q21.2 – Q25
(pp. 18 – 19),
Q26 – Q27
(pp. 21 – 22),
and follow-ups

Unauthorized billing for a membership in a buyers’ club.
The wording of Q22_2 was revised to make clear that we are asking about unauthorized billing for a buyers’ club
membership since the question about whether consumer received an unauthorized bill for a buyers’ club
membership may not immediately proceed this group of questions.
The list of possible responses on Q22_4a was altered.

Q24_2 – Q25_11
(pp. 79 – 85)

Q22.1 – Q23
(pp. 20 – 21),
Q26 – Q27
(pp. 21 – 22),
and follow-ups

Unauthorized billing for some other product or service
The wording of Q24_2 was revised to make clear that we are asking about unauthorized billing for some other
product or service since the question about whether consumer received an unauthorized bill for some other
product or service may not immediately proceed this group of questions.
The list of possible responses on Q24_4 was altered.

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2016 Questions

Comparable 2011
Questions

Discussion

Q26_1 – Q27_11
(pp. 86 – 93)

Q31_1 – Q37
(pp. 24 – 25),
and follow-ups

No changes were made.

Q28_1 – Q29_11
(pp. 94 – 100)

Q31a.1 – Q37b
(pp. 26 – 27)

No changes were made.

Q30_1 – Q31_11
(pp. 101 – 107)

New questions

Q32_1 – Q33_11
(pp. 108 – 113)

Q32.1 – Q38
(pp. 27 – 28),
and follow-ups

No changes were made.

Q34a – Q35_11
(pp. 114 – 121)

Q39 – Q39a.12
(pp. 29 - 32),
and follow-ups

A reference to a sweepstakes was added in Q34a.
Added Q34_4c to gather additional information about the type of prizes people were told that they had won.
Q34_5 – Q35_9a combine Q39a.7 – Q39a.8 and Q39a.11 – Q39a.12.
Q39a.9 – Q39a.10 were deleted and questions about counterfeit checks were combined in Q38_1 – Q39_11
below.

Q36_1 – Q37_11
(pp. 121 – 128)

Q41 – Q41a.9
(pp. 33 – 35),
and follow-ups

Q41a.7 – Q41a.8 10 were deleted and questions about counterfeit checks were combined in Q38_1 – Q39_11
below.

Q38_1 – Q39_11
(pp. 129 – 132)

Q42 – Q42e
(pp. 36 - 37),
and follow-ups

Wording changed in Q42 to make it clear that we are here interested in any counterfeit or bogus checks received
as part of a prize or grant offering.

Q40_1 – Q41_11
(pp. 133 – 139)

Q44a – Q44e
(pp. 38 – 39),
and follow-ups

No changes made

Q42_1a – Q43_11
(pp. 140 – 146)

New questions

Q44_1 – Q45_11
(pp. 147 – 152)

New questions

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2016 Questions

Comparable 2011
Questions

Discussion

Q46_1 – Q47_11
(pp. 153 – 161)

Q45 – Q49
(pp. 40 – 41),
and follow-ups

The list of possible responses to Q46_6 was altered.

Q48
(p. 162)

Q71a
(p. 46)

Is your phone number on the Do-Not-Call Registry
No changes made

Q49
(p. 162)

Q73
(p. 47)

Have you experienced a serious negative life event
No changes made

Q50
(p. 162)

New question

How would you rate your socio-economic status

Q51
(p. 163)

Q72e
(p. 46)

How willing are you to take risks
Reworded to employ a wording structure recommended by the proposed contractor

D2 – Q4
(pp. 163 – 165)

New questions

What is your ZIP code

D6 – D7
(p. 165)

Q75a – Q75b
(p. 47)

How many people live in your household
D6 asks about adults in the household, rather than total residents. One can be derived from the other since D7
asks about residents under 18.

D8
(p. 166)

Q76
(p. 48)

Educational attainment
Question reworded to conform to proposed contractor’s preferred wording

D9 – D9a
(pp. 166 – 167)

Q77
(p. 48)

Military service
Questions reworded to conform to proposed contractor’s preferred wording

D10 – D11
(p. 168)

Q78 – Q78a
(p. 48)

Ability to do business in English
Revised to only ask of those who choose to do the interview in Spanish

D12 – D13
(pp. 168 – 169)

Q84 – Q85
(p. 50)

Race and ethnicity
Questions revised somewhat to correspond to proposed contractor’s current wording

D14 – D16
(pp. 169 – 170)

New questions

Identify immigrants and how long they have been in the country

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2016 Questions

Comparable 2011
Questions

Discussion

D17 – D21
(pp. 170 – 171)

QL1 – QC5
(pp. 1 – 3)

Questions about telephone use needed for weighting cell and landline interviews

ANN_INC –
ANN_INC2
(pp. 172 -173)

Q79 – Q79b
(p. 49)

Income
Revised somewhat to correspond to proposed contractor’s standard way of asking income questions

D22 – D24
(pp. 173 – 174)

Q81, Q82, Q86.1
(pp. 49 – 50)

Expected future income, personal debt, and gender
No changes made

Table 2: Questions from the 2011 Survey That Are Not Included in the 2016 Survey
Questions
Eliminated

Discussion

Q72b – Q72d, Q72f
(pp. 46 -47)

Questions about personal characteristics

Q75
(p. 47)

Marital status

Q86.2 – Q86.3
(pp. 50 – 51)

Do you work outside of the home, are you paid a salary or hourly

Q87a – Q87f
(pp. 52 -53)

Questions on numeric skills

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