Fraudulent survey takers are a real problem that can undermine the validity of your research and lead to false or misleading results. Detecting these bad survey responses is critical for the success of your research, and there are a few things you can look out for to keep them at bay.

Use CAPTCHA Codes

Detect fake survey responses  (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart) is a simple code that consists of distorted letters or numbers that malicious software cannot copy, making it easy for bots to be detected and blocked from accessing your survey. Using CAPTCHA codes can help ensure that only valid respondents are contributing to your research.

How to Check the Name Associated with a Phone Number

Adding a marker text field to your survey can flag respondents who are attempting to manipulate your data by inserting their own responses. While this is not foolproof, it can help reduce the number of fraudulent responses in your final report.

In-Survey Checks

Including open-ended comment sections in your survey is an effective way to detect bad or disingenuous feedback from bots, survey farm workers, and artificial intelligence. If a respondent provides a nonsensical or repetitive response, this is usually a good indicator that they aren’t taking the survey seriously.

Other ways to spot fraudulent responses include checking for duplicates, limiting the number of responses per email address, incorporating attention-grabbing questions that encourage participants to think carefully about their answers, and setting up IP addresses to track and flag responses. Detecting fraudulent survey responses is an ongoing battle, but with preventative strategies in place, you can improve the quality of your research and ensure that only valid data is used for decision-making.