Investor Fraud Study: Final Report
Authors: The Consumer Fraud Research Group, for NASD Investor Education Foundation
Year: 2006
Focus Area: Persuasion, Profile
Relevance: Successfully preventing fraud depends on both understanding the techniques of fraudsters and identifying who is vulnerable to which types of fraud.
Summary: This study examines the characteristics of different types of victims and fraudsters’ tactics by reviewing transcripts of fraud pitches and conducting interviews and phone surveys of lottery and investment fraud victims (165) and non-victims (150).
Fraud tactics:
- source credibility (claiming to be from a legitimate business),
- phantom fixation (tantalizing with wealth and riches), and
- social consensus (claiming others are already investing successfully), along with many other methods from fear to friendship, tailored to any given audience.
Victim profiles:
- Investment fraud victims were more often married men with higher educations and incomes, and with greater financial literacy than non-victims.
- Lottery fraud victims were more often widowed women over 75, living alone and with strong religious feeling. They were also more likely to feel that they “have not gotten what they deserve out of life” and “should live for the moment.”
- Both investment and lottery victims were more likely to have experienced more difficulties and negative life events, relied on their own judgment rather than a professional’s opinion, were more open to sales pitches, and demonstrated “low persuasion literacy.”
Author Abstract: A multifaceted inquiry of consumer fraud analyzed undercover tapes of fraud pitches and surveyed victims and non-victims to determine how they differ. Tape analysis revealed con criminals customize their pitch to match the psychological profile of the victim and use a complex combination of influence tactics within each pitch to persuade. Investment fraud victims demonstrated a better understanding of basic financial literacy than non-victims. Both investment and lottery victims were more likely to have experienced a negative life event unrelated to their fraud experience. Both victim types were more likely to listen to sales pitches from unknown sales persons. Investment and lottery fraud victims both dramatically under-report fraud. It is recommended that 1) Financial literacy and fraud prevention efforts be broadened to incorporate greater emphasis on spotting and resisting con criminals’ persuasive tactics; 2) Encourage more reporting of illegal activity to law enforcement and 3) Conduct more research to develop a vulnerability index and test the effects of persuasion education as a deterrent to fraud.