Using Cognitive Interviewing to Improve the Measurement of Financial Fraud Victimization

• In Event: Measuring Financial Fraud Victimization in the United States

Abstract

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and RTI International are conducting research on measuring fraud victimization as part of the National Crime Victimization Survey Redesign Research (NCVS-RR) program. This effort will result in the development of a NCVS Supplemental Fraud Survey (SFS) that can be administered to all NCVS survey respondents 18 years of age and older. The primary purpose of the NCVS Supplemental Fraud Survey will be to measure the prevalence of a range of different types of fraud, as well as capture details about the consequences of and victims’ reactions to specific fraud victimization experiences. One activity being undertaken in this effort to develop the NCVS Supplemental Fraud Survey involves conducting cognitive interviews with victims of fraud. Approximately 300 cognitive interviews are being conducted online via crowdsourcing, and approximately 18 are being conducted in person in three cities around the United States. This presentation will focus on the BJS/RTI research team’s experiences with using crowdsourced and in-person cognitive interviews to learn about and improve the measurement of fraud victimization.

Authors

• Sarah Cook, RTI International

• Christopher Krebs, RTI International

• Lynn Langton, Bureau of Justice Statistics

• Rachel E Morgan, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice

• Nakisa Asefnia, University of South Carolina

• Karen Lissy, RTI International