Identifying telemarketing fraud victimisation through analysis of trueCall nuisance call blocking metadata – A realist evaluation of a situational crime prevention initiative.

• In Event: Situational crime prevention

Abstract

Telemarketing fraud poses a significant risk, particularly to vulnerable populations. This research evaluates a situational crime prevention programme implemented in Wales, aimed at mitigating telemarketing fraud among a cohort of 270 older individuals. The programme, developed by a local government Trading Standards team, employs trueCall nuisance call blocking devices and the innovative Seraphimbeta© inference engine to enhance the visibility of telemarketing calls to programme guardians. Seraphimbeta© created by the research team monitors a fleet of trueCall devices and performs multivariate analysis of call log metadata to generate alerts when it suspects that programme users have engaged with, or are at risk of engaging with, telemarketing fraud approaches. These alerts trigger targeted interventions and support services from Trading Standards, aimed at further reducing exposure to fraudulent calls.
The programme's effectiveness was assessed through a realist evaluation, focusing on context-mechanism-outcome conjectures (CMOCs) and qualitative analysis to identify underlying generative mechanisms. Additionally, epidemiological data was used to help further understand the distribution of suspected telemarketing fraud approaches made to programme users and the impact of programme interventions. Initial informal pilots conducted during the Summer of 2020 across multiple local government Trading Standards teams in the UK demonstrated the programme's potential, leading to further funding and development.
The findings of this research suggest that increasing the risk and effort for telemarketing criminals and providing targeted support for potential victims, can have an impact in reducing exposure to telemarketing fraud approaches (in context specific scenarios) and identified further generative mechanisms serving to refine the programme theory and the future development of programme strategies.

Author

• Andrew Passenger, Cardiff University