Research and analysis

Economic Crime Survey 2020: technical report

Published 3 May 2023

Applies to England and Wales

The technical report accompanies the Home Office produced Economic Crime Survey (ECS) research report. The technical report was produced independently by IFF Research, who carried out the survey, and is provided here by the Home Office in HTML format for accessibility purposes.

1. Introduction

In recent years there has been a call for evidence on the scale and nature of economic crime in the UK, particularly fraud and corruption. Both the UK Anti-Corruption Strategy 2017 to 2022 and the Economic Crime Plan 2019 to 2022 set developing a better understanding of the threat posed by economic crime as strategic objectives. This is because a better understanding of economic crime plays a key role in informing policy reforms and operational activity aimed at combatting economic crime.

It is in this context that the Economic Crime Survey (ECS) was conducted by IFF Research on behalf of the Home Office between February and May 2020. The aim of this research was to provide insight into the scale, nature and impact of fraud and corruption on UK businesses, thereby helping to develop the government’s evidence base.

In total, 5,000 CATI interviews were completed with businesses in England and Wales across 7 sectors: construction; real estate; financial and insurance services: legal services; mining and quarrying; wholesale and retail; and information and communication.

This paper outlines the methodological approach taken to the ECS, covering every aspect of the survey, including:

• feasibility testing
• sampling
• pilot and mainstage fieldwork
• response rates
• weighting

2. Feasibility testing

2.1 Overview

As this was the inaugural wave of the ECS, it was essential that comprehensive feasibility testing was undertaken. This phase comprised 2 key elements: scoping interviews and cognitive testing interviews.

Sample for the scoping and cognitive interviews was sourced from Market Location’s Business Database. The sample was drawn to include businesses across the 7 sectors of interest and to include a range of different sized businesses in terms of annual turnover. Table 2.1 below presents a breakdown of the number of sector scoping and cognitive interviews completed across the 7 sectors.

Table 2.1 : Completed sector scoping and cognitive interviews

	Sector scoping	Cognitive testing
Construction	3	4
Real estate	3	2
Financial and insurance services	3	3
Legal services	3	2
Mining and quarrying	2	2
Wholesale and retail trade	3	3
Information and communication	3	4
Total	20	20

2.2 Scoping interviews

Scoping interviews were designed to inform the coverage of the ECS and the design of research materials. Between 5 September and 13 September, 2019, scoping interviews were conducted with 20 businesses.

These semi-structured qualitative interviews covered businesses’ understanding of fraud and corruption; their perceptions on the extent to which fraud and corruption are issues in their sector; and their ability to answer questions about fraud and corruption events.

To test their comprehension of fraud and corruption, businesses were asked to define these terms in their own words and to share their opinions on working definitions of each. These definitions were developed collaboratively by IFF Research, the Home Office and IFF Research’s academic partners at Portsmouth University, led by Professor Mark Button. Businesses typically had a clear understanding of what constitutes fraud and corruption, and where they did not, the definitions provided were identified as useful.

Businesses that had experienced fraud or corruption were generally able and willing to discuss the circumstance of the event, including the type of fraud or corruption, who it was conducted by, the effect of the event and their response to it.

Following the completion of the scoping interviews, a first draft of the questionnaire was developed with input from the Home Office, the ECS stakeholder working group and IFF Research’s academic partners. During this process the coverage of the survey, the design and wording of questions and the ordering of questions was agreed.

2.3 Cognitive interviews

Between 29 October and 27 November, 2019, 20 cognitive interviews were conducted to test the first draft of the ECS questionnaire with businesses.

These interviews involved running through the survey as it would be delivered during mainstage fieldwork, with follow-up discussions at the end of the survey to check the respondents’ understanding of terminology and the extent to which it was easy or difficult to answer questions.

The cognitive testing stage indicated that the ECS was a viable survey: across all sectors, businesses were generally willing to take part; they had a good understanding of the topics covered in the survey; and they were able to answer questions with relative ease.

However, the cognitive testing stage also identified areas of the survey where changes needed to be made ahead of pilot and mainstage quantitative fieldwork. This included refinements to the terminology used, particularly in relation to fraud, and removing a small number of question to ensure the survey did not last longer than the target duration of 20 minutes.

3. Sampling

An initial sample for pilot and mainstage fieldwork was sourced from the Inter Departmental Business Register (IDBR). To achieve the target of 5,000 mainstage interviews a sample of 52,650 businesses was drawn.

The sample was drawn in proportion to the population of each of the 7 sectors based on turnover, with larger businesses overrepresented to allow for robust statistical analysis between sub-groups. Table 3.1 presents the sample obtained from the IDBR in terms of sector and turnover.

Table 3.1 : First sample draw by sector and turnover

	Construction	Real estate	Financial and insurance services	Legal services	Mining and quarrying	Wholesale and retail	Information and communication	Total
£0-£99,999	2,388	3,252	3,564	2,316	315	2,262	2,808	16,905
£100,000-£249,000	2,496	1,716	1,399	2,580	280	2,376	2,160	13,007
£250,000-£499,999	1,281	1,200	1,200	1,278	130	1,423	1,200	7,712
£500,000-£999,999	1,200	1,200	1,200	1,200	110	1,200	1,200	7,310
£1,000,000+	1,200	1,200	1,200	1,200	410	1,307	1,200	7,717
Total	8,565	8,568	8,563	8,574	1,245	8,568	8,568	52,650

Once the starting sample had been drawn, it was cleaned to remove ineligible businesses and records without a usable contact information^{[footnote 1]}. Table 3.2 presents the number of usable records that remained ahead of pilot fieldwork.

Table 3.2 : Usable records from the first sample draw by sector and turnover

	Construction	Real estate	Financial and insurance services	Legal services	Mining and quarrying	Wholesale and retail	Information and communication	Total
£0-£99,999	542	717	1,484	427	108	525	438	4,241
£100,000-£249,000	903	493	834	677	106	862	388	4,263
£250,000-£499,999	373	422	775	429	55	641	359	3,054
£500,000-£999,999	464	538	857	619	57	613	488	3,636
£1,000,000+	765	715	973	934	243	925	764	5,319
Total	3,047	2,885	4,923	3,086	569	3,566	2,437	20,513

Towards the end of mainstage fieldwork, a top-up sample of 3,554 records were sourced from Market Location’s Business Database. This was necessary because, despite conducting automated telephone matching and manual desk research on the IDBR sample, there was an insufficient number of records with usable contact details in the bottom 3 turnover size bands. The drawing targets for the top-up sample were informed by the volume of usable sample still available at that time (see Table 3.3).

Table 3.3 : Second sample draw by sector and turnover

	Construction	Real estate	Financial and insurance services	Legal services	Mining and quarrying	Wholesale and retail	Information and communication	Total
£0-£99,999	602	423	0	34	1	396	278	1734
£100,000-£249,000	147	91	0	617	29	0	719	1,603
£250,000-£499,999	50	0	0	0	41	0	126	217
£500,000-£999,999	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
£1,000,000+	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Total	799	514	0	651	71	396	1,123	3,554

4. Quantitative fieldwork

4.1 Pilot fieldwork

Between 6 January and 10 January, 2020, IFF Research piloted the ECS with 50 businesses. Table 4.1 presents the number of interviews completed by sector and turnover.

Prior to the commencement of pilot fieldwork all interviewers received a briefing on the ECS and were issued with written instructions, providing them with an understanding of the background to the research, the questionnaire design, the screening criteria and the sample design.

The pilot survey involved administering the survey exactly as it would be during mainstage fieldwork. As well as allowing for further checks on comprehension of questions and survey flow, the pilot provided an opportunity to monitor response patterns and the overall interview length.

The results of the pilot were positive in that: the average length was within the target of 20 minutes; there were no issues with the screening process; and there was limited feedback from interviewers regarding issues with participant comprehension. Furthermore, businesses were generally willing to participate despite the survey covering a potentially sensitive subject area.

Following the completion of pilot fieldwork, minor refinements were made to the questionnaire. The final version of the questionnaire used in mainstage fieldwork can be found in Appendix A of this report.

Table 4.1 : Pilot fieldwork interviews by sector and turnover

	Construction	Real estate	Financial and insurance services	Legal services	Mining and quarrying	Wholesale and retail	Information and communication	Total
£0-£99,999	1	0	2	1	4	0	1	9
£100,000-£249,000	1	2	3	2	1	0	1	10
£250,000-£499,999	0	1	3	1	2	2	2	11
£500,000-£999,999	2	3	1	1	3	0	0	10
£1,000,000+	0	0	3	1	0	5	1	10
Total	4	6	12	6	10	7	5	50

4.2 Mainstage fieldwork

Mainstage fieldwork was carried out between 3 February and 27 May, 2020. A total of 5,000 businesses were interviewed. Table 4.2 presents the number of interviews completed, broken down by sector and turnover.

As with the pilot, prior to commencement of mainstage fieldwork all interviewers received a briefing on the ECS and were issued with written instructions. This ensured that interviewers understood the background to the research, the questionnaire design, the screening criteria and the sample design.

Mainstage fieldwork was conducted in a uniquely challenging environment, with the coronavirus (COVID-19) lockdown measures coming into effect in March 2020. The original target of 5,000 interviews was still achieved. However, due to some businesses being temporality closed, staff being furloughed and the bedding in period of ‘working from home’ practices, it became more challenging to reach relevant contacts. It was therefore necessary to extend the fieldwork period by 2 weeks.

Table 4.2 : Mainstage fieldwork interviews by sector and turnover

	Construction	Real estate	Financial and insurance services	Legal services	Mining and quarrying	Wholesale and retail	Information and communication	Total
£0-£99,999	246	325	350	141	28	217	150	1,457
£100,000-£249,000	260	167	175	351	34	241	274	1,502
£250,000-£499,999	100	105	103	113	23	125	135	704
£500,000-£999,999	100	101	104	103	15	105	109	637
£1,000,000+	105	104	100	100	63	116	112	700
Total	811	802	832	808	163	804	780	5,000

Checks were conducted on the final 5,000 interviews to ensure the data was robust before the beginning of analysis. This involved conducting data validation checks and identifying outlier responses.

5. Response rates

An overall response rate of 25% was achieved. Table 5.1 shows the response rate for each sector and Table 5.2 shows the response rate for each turnover group.

Table 5.1 : ECS response rate by sector

	Construction	Real estate	Financial and insurance services	Legal services	Mining and quarrying	Wholesale and retail	Information and communication
Response rate	26%	28%	19%	26%	33%	23%	28%

Table 5.2 : ECS response rate by turnover

	£0-£99,999	£100,000-£249,000	£250,000-£499,999	£500,000-£999,999	£1,000,000+
Response rate	32%	32%	25%	20%	15%

6. Weighting

In line with standard market research practice, the data collected in the ECS was weighted to make it representative of the underlying population. Weighting the data was necessary because of the deliberate decision to stratify interviews to ensure a sufficient number were achieved in each sector and turnover group.

One weight was applied to the data to make it representative of the target population. This weight was informed by the profile of the underlying population of businesses in terms of sector and turnover. Data on the underlying population was sourced from the IDBR and is presented in Table 6.1^{[footnote 2]}.

Table 6.1 : Profile of the underlaying business population by sector and turnover

	Construction	Real estate	Financial and insurance services	Legal services	Mining and quarrying	Wholesale and retail	Information and Communication	Total
£0-£99,999	9.83%	4.02%	3.05%	0.91%	0.03%	8.89%	9.13%	35.87%
£100,000-£249,000	10.19%	2.47%	0.86%	1.00%	0.02%	10.42%	7.66%	32.62%
£250,000-£499,999	4.45%	1.08%	0.54%	0.43%	0.01%	5.60%	1.07%	13.18%
£500,000-£999,999	2.42%	0.55%	0.31%	0.26%	0.01%	3.64%	0.65%	7.84%
£1,000,000+	2.88%	0.57%	0.49%	0.30%	0.04%	5.14%	1.08%	10.49%
Total	29.76%	8.69%	5.25%	2.91%	0.11%	33.69%	19.59%	100.00%

As a result of adjusting a dataset to make it representative of the underlying population, weighting produces a design effect. In this instance, the design effect is 1.75^{[footnote 3]}. A design effect of this size means that the effective sample size is 2,863^{[footnote 4]}.

An effective sample base size of 2,863 means that, as a worst-case scenario, findings are accurate to within + or - 1.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. By this, we mean that if 50% of the effective sample of 2,863 agreed with a statement in the questionnaire, we can be 95% confident that the response from all merchants would lie between 48.2% and 51.8%.

Measuring a margin of error at 50% is referred to as a ‘worst-case scenario’, as the margin of error decreases the closer results approach 0% or 100%. Table 6.2 shows the margin of error for the un-weighted sample of businesses and the effective sample of businesses, to demonstrate how it changes by survey responses.

Table 6.2 : Margins of error at the 95% confidence level

	Number of interviews	Margin of error at 50%	Margin of error at 70%/30%	Margin of error at 90%/10%
Total interviews	5,000	+/- 1.4 pp	+/- 1.3 pp	+/- 0.8 pp
Effective total sample	2,863	+/- 1.8 pp	+/- 1.7 pp	+/- 1.1 pp

7. Appendix A: Questionnaire

S Screener

ASK TELEPHONIST
S1 [IF HASCON=1: Good morning / afternoon. My name is NAME and I’m calling from IFF Research. Please can I speak to CONTACT NAME?] [IF HASOCON=2: Good morning / afternoon. My name is NAME and I’m calling from IFF Research. Please can I speak to the Managing Director or Finance Director?]

IF NECESSARY: We’re conducting a survey on behalf of the Home Office to understand the experiences and impacts of fraud and corruption on UK businesses, like yours.

Your participation in this research will be really important as the findings will provide the Home Office with a deeper understanding of the scale and nature of fraud and corruption in the UK and help strengthen the UK’s response to fraud and corruption, thereby benefitting both the public and businesses.

This research will be relevant to your business regardless of whether your business has experienced any incidences of fraud or corruption.

Transferred 1 CONTINUE
Hard appointment 2 MAKE APPOINTMENT
Soft Appointment 3 MAKE APPOINTMENT
Engaged 4 CALL BACK
Refusal 5 CLOSE
Refusal – company policy 6 CLOSE
Refusal – Taken part in recent survey 7 CLOSE
Nobody at site able to answer questions 8 CLOSE
Not available in deadline 9 CLOSE
No reply / Answer phone 10 CLOSE
Residential Number 11 CLOSE
Dead line 12 CLOSE
Company closed 13 CLOSE
Request reassurance email 14 MAKE APPOINTMENT

ASK ALL
S2 Good morning / afternoon, my name is NAME, calling from IFF Research, an independent research company.

We’re conducting a survey on behalf of the Home Office to understand the experiences and impacts of fraud and corruption on UK businesses, like yours.

The survey will take around 20 minutes and will cover whether your business has experienced fraud or corruption, and if so, the impact this experience has had on your business. It will also cover your views on how widespread you think fraud and corruption are.

Your participation in this research will be really important as the findings will provide the Home Office with a deeper understanding of the scale and nature of fraud and corruption in the UK and help strengthen the UK’s response to fraud and corruption, thereby benefitting both the public and businesses.

We are interested in speaking to you regardless of whether your business has experienced any incidences of fraud or corruption.

Please be assured that anything you tell us will be kept in the strictest confidence. All data will be reported in aggregate form and your answers will not be reported in any way that would allow you or your business to be identified.

Is now a convenient time to arrange an interview?

Continue 1 CONTINUE
Referred to someone else at establishment
NAME___
JOB TITLE ___ 2 TRANSFER AND RE-INTRODUCE
Hard appointment 3 MAKE APPOINTMENT
Soft appointment 4 MAKE APPOINTMENT
Refusal 5 THANK AND CLOSE
Refusal – company policy 6 THANK AND CLOSE
Refusal – taken part in recent survey 7 THANK AND CLOSE
Not available in deadline 8 THANK AND CLOSE
Request reassurance email 9 COLLECT EMAIL ADDRESS THEN CONTINUE OR MAKE APPOINTMENT

ASK ALL
S3 Thank you. Before we begin, I just need to tell you that under data protection law you have the right to have a copy of your data, change your data, or withdraw from the research at any point. If you’d like to do this, you can consult our website at IFF Research General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Everything you say will be treated in the strictest confidence, and the Home Office will not be told who has taken part. As part of our quality control procedures, all interviews are recorded automatically.

Is that OK?

DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
Yes 1 CONTINUE
No 2 THANK AND CLOSE
Show reassurances 3 SHOW REASSURANCES AND RETURN

REASSURANCES TO USE IF NECESSARY
This survey is being conducted by IFF Research on behalf of the Home Office. The aim of the survey is to explore the experiences and impacts of fraud and corruption amongst UK businesses, like yours.

The survey will take around 20 minutes and will cover whether your business has experienced fraud or corruption, and if so, the impact this experience had on your business. It will also cover your views on the extent to which you think fraud and corruption are widespread in your industry.

Your contact details were shared with us by the Home Office and were sourced from the Inter-Departmental Business Register (IDBR); a database of UK businesses used by the government for research purposes.

IFF Research are legally bound by the Market Research Society’s Code of Conduct to use this data only for the purposes of this research and cannot pass it on to anyone else. The research is also being conducted in accordance with the Government Social Research guidelines.

Please be assured that everything you tell us will be kept in the strictest confidence. All data will be reported in aggregate form and your answers will not be reported in any way that would allow you or your business to be identified.

If you wish to confirm validity of the survey or get more information about aims and objectives, you can contact:

• MRS: Market Research Society on 0800 975 9596
• IFF: [REDACTED]
• Government Social Research Unit: [REDACTED]
• Home Office: [REDACTED]

ASK ALL
S4 Before I go any further, I need to point out that during the survey I’ll be asking questions about…

• the number of incidents of fraud and corruption your business has experienced over the last 3 years
• the financial impact of these incidents, in terms of stolen and damaged assets and lost output

Is this something you would be able to discuss with me now or would you need to collate the information before going through the interview?

DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
Happy to continue 1 GO TO A1
Needs an information sheet 2 GO TO S5

ASK IF NOT ABLE TO TAKE PART NOW (S4=2)
S5 I can send you a document outlining the type of questions we’ll be asking so that you can prepare for the interview. Please can I take the email address that you would like us to send this to?
Email WRITE IN COLLECT EMAIL ADDRESS AND SEND EMAIL
Refused 1 THANK AND CLOSE

ASK IF PROVIDE EMAIL ADDRESS (S5≠1)
S6 Thank you. That email should arrive soon. Please can I take your name, the best telephone number to reach you on and a date and time that would be convenient for you to participate in an interview?

INTERVIEWER: ARRANGE APPOINTMENT IN DIMENSIONS.
Name WRITE IN DS: GIVE OUTCOME ‘RECON’
Phone WRITE IN DS: GIVE OUTCOME ‘RECON’
Refused 1 THANK AND CLOSE

ASK IF RECONTACT SAMPLE (QUEUE = RECON)
S7 Good morning / afternoon CONTACT, my name is INTERVIEWER, calling from IFF Research, an independent research company.

You recently agreed to take part in a survey we’re conducting on behalf of the Home Office to understand the experiences and impacts of fraud and corruption on UK businesses, like yours.

Is now a convenient time to take part?

Continue 1 CONTINUE
Referred to someone else at establishment
NAME___
JOB TITLE___ 2 TRANSFER AND RE-INTRODUCE
Hard appointment 3 MAKE APPOINTMENT
Soft appointment 4 MAKE APPOINTMENT
Refusal 5 THANK AND CLOSE
Refusal – company policy 6 THANK AND CLOSE
Refusal – taken part in recent survey 7 THANK AND CLOSE
Not available in deadline 8 THANK AND CLOSE

A. Fraud

READ OUT TO ALL
I’d like to start off by asking you what types of fraud, if any, your business has experienced over the last 3 years. By fraud, I mean the use of deception or deceit for personal gain, often (but not always) resulting in a financial loss for the victim.

ASK ALL
A1 So, over the last 3 years, has your business experienced any of the following?

READ OUT. MULTI CODE
False or forged personal expenses or claims for work not done 1 [ ]
False accounting (such as, when company assets are overstated, or liabilities are understated) 2 [ ]
Debit or credit card fraud (such as, when personal information is stolen from your debit or credit card, or the card itself is stolen, in order for money to be taken from your account or used to buy items in your name) 3 [ ]
Online banking fraud (such as, when fraudsters gain access to an online/mobile banking account in order for money to be taken from your account or used to buy items in your name) 4 [ ]
Procurement related fraud (such as, fraudulent claims for goods and services that were not delivered or not delivered as specified or false or exaggerated invoices) 5 [ ]
Insurance related fraud (such as, when false claims are made to insurance companies) 6 [ ]
Investment fraud (such as, when you get a cold call from someone pretending to offer you the opportunity to invest in a variety of schemes or products that are either worthless or don’t even exist) 7 [ ]
Mandate fraud (such as, when someone gets you to change a direct debit or standing order so that payments are made to a different account) 8 [ ]
Application fraud (such as, a bank account being opened with fake or stolen documents) 9 [ ]
Business trading fraud (such as, businesses being set up with the intention of defrauding customers) 10 [ ]
Any other types of fraud not mentioned (please specify) 11 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Other 2 (please specify) 12 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Other 3 (please specify) 13 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: None of these 14 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 15 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 16 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED FRAUD (A1=1-13)
A1b Did any of these occur in the last 12 months?

DS: ONLY SHOW FRAUD TYPES SELECTED AT A1

READ OUT. MULTI CODE.
False or forged personal expenses or claims for work not done 1 [ ]
False accounting (such as, when company assets are overstated, or liabilities are understated) 2 [ ]
Debit or credit card fraud (such as, when personal information is stolen from your debit or credit card, or the card itself is stolen, in order for money to be taken from your account or used to buy items in your name) 3 [ ]
Online banking fraud (such as, when fraudsters gain access to an online/mobile banking account in order for money to be taken from your account or used to buy items in your name) 4 [ ]
Procurement related fraud (such as, fraudulent claims for goods and services that were not delivered or not delivered as specified or false or exaggerated invoices) 5 [ ]
Insurance related fraud (such as, when false claims are made to insurance companies) 6 [ ]
Investment fraud (such as, when you get a cold call from someone pretending to offer you the opportunity to invest in a variety of schemes or products that are either worthless or don’t even exist) 7 [ ]
Mandate fraud (such as, when someone gets you to change a direct debit or standing order so that payments are made to a different account) 8 [ ]
Application fraud (such as, a bank account being opened with fake or stolen documents) 9 [ ]
Business trading fraud (such as, businesses being set up with the intention of defrauding customers) 10 [ ]
[IF A1=11: Other text 1] 11 [ ]
[IF A1=12: Other text 2] 12 [ ]
[IF A1=13: Other text 3] 13 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: No, none of the above 14 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 15 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 16 [ ]

SCRIPTING INSTRUCTION: LOOP QUESTIONS A2-A7. IF A2 = 1, SHOW OPTION A. IF A2 > 1, SHOW OPTION B.

IF EXPERIENCED FRAUD (A1=1-13)
A2 Over the last 3 years, how many times has your business experienced [A1_1-13]? Please only think about confirmed incidents, not suspected incidents.

IF EXPERIENCED FRAUD (A1=1-13)
A3 [IF A2=1: Was this incident] [IF A2=>1: How many of these incidents were] carried out…

READ OUT. MULTI CODE
Internally 1 [ ]
Externally 2 [ ]
By an Unknown Party 3 [ ]
Refused 4 [ ]

A4 QUESTION DELETED
A5 QUESTION DELETED

IF EXPERIENCED FRAUD (A1=1-13)
A6 [IF A2=1: Was this incident] [IF A2=>1: How many of these incidents were] carried out online? By online, I mean any internet-based activity. For example via email, social media, messaging platforms or fraudulent websites, as well as viruses and hacking.]

IF EXPERIENCED ONE ONLINE FRAUD INCIDENT (A2=1 AND A6=1) OR (A2=>1 AND A6=”1”)
A6a Was this incident carried out…?

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
Via email 1 [ ]
Via social media 2 [ ]
Via messaging platforms 3 [ ]
Via fraudulent websites 4 [ ]
Via a virus 5 [ ]
By hacking 6 [ ]
Other (please specify) 7 [ ]
Don’t know 8 [ ]
Refused 9 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE ONLINE FRAUD INCIDENTS (A2=>1 AND A6=>”1”)
A6b How were these incidents carried out…?

READ OUT. MULTI CODE
Via email 1 [ ]
Via social media 2 [ ]
Via messaging platforms 3 [ ]
Via fraudulent website 4 [ ]
Via a virus 5 [ ]
By hacking 6 [ ]
Other (please specify) 7 [ ]
Don’t know 8 [ ]
Refused 9 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE ONLINE FRAUD INCIDENTS (A2=>1 AND A6=>”1”)
A6c How many of these incidents were carried out…?

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE FOR EACH

DS: ONLY SHOW RESPONSES SELECTED AT A6B
WRITE IN NUMBER DNRO: Don’t know DNRO: Refused
Via email [ ] 1 2
Via social media [ ] 1 2
Via messaging platforms [ ] 1 2
Via fraudulent websites [ ] 1 2
Via a virus [ ] 1 2
By hacking [ ] 1 2
A6b_7 [ ] 1 2

IF EXPERIENCED FRAUD (A1=1-13)
A7 [IF A2=1: Did this incident impact] [IF A2=>1: How many of these incidents impacted] the business? For example, caused inconvenience or a financial loss.

OPTION A (A2=1)
Yes 1 [ ]
No 2 [ ]
Don’t know 3 [ ]
Refused 4 [ ]

OPTION B (A2 >1)
WRITE IN
Don’t know 1 [ ]
Refused 2 [ ]

IF MULTIPLE TYPES OF FRAUD EXPERIENCED (A1= >1 CODED)
A8 Of the different types of fraud your business has experienced over the last 3 years, what was the most recent?

DS: ONLY SHOW FRAUD TYPES SELECTED AT A1

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
False or forged personal expenses or claims for work not done 1 [ ]
False accounting (such as, when company assets are overstated, or liabilities are understated) 2 [ ]
Debit or credit card fraud (such as, when personal information is stolen from your debit or credit card, or the card itself is stolen, in order for money to be taken from your account or used to buy items in your name) 3 [ ]
Online banking fraud (such as, when fraudsters gain access to an online/mobile banking account in order for money to be taken from your account or used to buy items in your name) 4 [ ]
Procurement related fraud (such as, fraudulent claims for goods and services that were not delivered or not delivered as specified or false or exaggerated invoices) 5 [ ]
Insurance related fraud (such as, when false claims are made to insurance companies) 6 [ ]
Investment fraud (such as, when you get a cold call from someone pretending to offer you the opportunity to invest in a variety of schemes or products that are either worthless or don’t even exist) 7 [ ]
Mandate fraud (such as, when someone gets you to change a direct debit or standing order so that payments are made to a different account) 8 [ ]
Application fraud (such as, a bank account being opened with fake or stolen documents) 9 [ ]
Business trading fraud (such as, businesses being set up with the intention of defrauding customers) 10 [ ]
[IF A1=11: Other text 1] 11 [ ]
[IF A1=12: Other text 2] 12 [ ]
[IF A1=13: Other text 3] 13 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 14 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 15 [ ]

IF DON’T KNOW OR REFUSED TO MENTION MOST RECENT (A8= 14/15)
A9 In that case, of the different types of fraud your business has experienced over the last 3 years, which would you be most comfortable discussing?

DS: ONLY SHOW FRAUD TYPES SELECTED AT A1

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
False or forged personal expenses or claims for work not done 1 [ ]
False accounting (such as, when company assets are overstated, or liabilities are understated) 2 [ ]
Debit or credit card fraud (such as, when personal information is stolen from your debit or credit card, or the card itself is stolen, in order for money to be taken from your account or used to buy items in your name) 3 [ ]
Online banking fraud (such as, when fraudsters gain access to an online/mobile banking account in order for money to be taken from your account or used to buy items in your name) 4 [ ]
Procurement related fraud (such as, fraudulent claims for goods and services that were not delivered or not delivered as specified or false or exaggerated invoices) 5 [ ]
Insurance related fraud (such as, when false claims are made to insurance companies) 6 [ ]
Investment fraud (such as, when you get a cold call from someone pretending to offer you the opportunity to invest in a variety of schemes or products that are either worthless or don’t even exist) 7 [ ]
Mandate fraud (such as, when someone gets you to change a direct debit or standing order so that payments are made to a different account) 8 [ ]
Application fraud (such as, a bank account being opened with fake or stolen documents) 9 [ ]
Business trading fraud (such as, businesses being set up with the intention of defrauding customers) 10 [ ]
[IF A1=11: Other text 1] 11 [ ]
[IF A1=12: Other text 2] 12 [ ]
[IF A1=13: Other text 3] 13 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: None 14 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 15 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 16 [ ]

READ OUT IF DON’T KNOW OR REFUSED TO STATE WHICH TYPE OF FRAUD THEY WOULD BE MOST COMFORTABLE DISCUSSING (A9 = 15/16)
In that case, I’d like to ask you some questions about your business’ experience of [SELECT RANDOM TYPE OF FRAUD EXPERIENCED AT A1].

READ OUT IF ABLE TO IDENTIFY MOST RECENT/TYPE WILLING TO DISCUSS (A1=SINGLE CODE OR A8= 1-13 OR A9=1-13)
For the next few questions, I would like to focus on your business’ experience of [A1/A8/A9_1-13]

IF ABLE TO IDENTIFY MOST RECENT TYPE/WILLING TO DISCUSS (A1=SINGLE CODE OR A8= 1-13 OR A9≠14)
A9a In which year did your business last experience this type of fraud?
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
2020 1 [ ]
2019 2 [ ]
2018 3 [ ]
2017 4 [ ]
Don’t know 5 [ ]
Refused 6 [ ]

IF ABLE TO IDENTIFY MOST RECENT TYPE/WILLING TO DISCUSS (A1=SINGLE CODE OR A8= 1-13 OR A9≠14)
A10 Who was this fraud carried out by?
DO NOT READ OUT MULTI CODE
An existing client/customer 1 [ ]
Someone impersonating a client/customer 2 [ ]
An existing contractor 3 [ ]
Someone impersonating a contractor 4 [ ]
An existing supplier 5 [ ]
Someone impersonating a supplier 6 [ ]
An existing employee 7 [ ]
A previous employee 8 [ ]
Someone impersonating an employee 9 [ ]
Competitors 10 [ ]
Someone else (please specify) 11 [ ]
Don’t know 12 [ ]
Refused 13 [ ]

IF ABLE TO IDENTIFY MOST RECENT TYPE/WILLING TO DISCUSS (A1=SINGLE CODE OR A8= 1-13 OR A9≠14)
A11 How was this fraud conducted?
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTI CODE
In Person 1 [ ]
Via Email 2 [ ]
Via letter 3 [ ]
Via phone 4 [ ]
A computer being infected by a virus or other malicious software 5 [ ]
Via hacking or unauthorised access to accounts or systems 6 [ ]
Through use of a fraudulent website or clicking a suspicious link 7 [ ]
Other (please specify) 8 [ ]
Don’t know 9 [ ]
Refused 10 [ ]

A12 QUESTION DELETED
A13 QUESTION DELETED

IF ABLE TO IDENTIFY MOST RECENT TYPE/WILLING TO DISCUSS (A1=SINGLE CODE OR A8= 1-13 OR A9≠14)
A14 How was the fraud identified?
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE
Through internal checks of records/ accounts 1 [ ]
Through external checks of records/accounts 2 [ ]
Through surveillance (for example, CCTV) 3 [ ]
Through vetting or screening 4 [ ]
Through whistle-blowers 5 [ ]
Through IT security (for example, spam filter or anti]-virus software) 6 [ ]
Through routine work 7 [ ]
Informed by a third party (please specify) 8 [ ]
Other (please specify) 9 [ ]
Don’t know 10 [ ]
Refused 11 [ ]

IF ABLE TO IDENTIFY MOST RECENT TYPE/WILLING TO DISCUSS (A1=SINGLE CODE OR A8= 1-13 OR A9=≠14)
A15 Was the fraud reported?
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
Yes 1 [ ]
No 2 [ ]
Don’t know 3 [ ]
Refused 4 [ ]

IF FRAUD WAS REPORTED (A15=1)
A16 Who was the fraud reported to?
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE
Action Fraud 1 [ ]
Police 2 [ ]
Serious Fraud Office 3 [ ]
Bank 4 [ ]
Regulator 5 [ ]
National Crime Agency 6 [ ]
Trading Standards 7 [ ]
Superiors in business (for example, director or owner) 8 [ ]
Lawyers 9 [ ]
Other (please specify) 10 [ ]
Don’t know 11 [ ]
Refused 12 [ ]

IF FRAUD WASN’T REPORTED (A15=2)
A17 Why was the fraud not reported?
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTI CODE
Private matter/ dealt with internally 1 [ ]
Small effect on business – not worth reporting 2 [ ]
No effect on business- not worth reporting 3 [ ]
Unaware of who it should be reported to 4 [ ]
Previous bad experience of reporting 5 [ ]
Inconvenient/too much hassle 6 [ ]
It’s a common occurrence 7 [ ]
Concerned about repercussions 8 [ ]
Concerned about potential reputational damage 9 [ ]
Other (please specify) 10 [ ]
Don’t know 11 [ ]
Refused 12 [ ]

IF FRAUD WAS REPORTED BUT NOT TO AF (A16 ≠ 1)
A18 Why was the fraud not reported to Action Fraud?
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTI CODE
It was (forgot to mention at previous question) 1 [ ]
Unaware of Action Fraud 2 [ ] Reported to someone else (for example, regulator) 3 [ ]
Previous bad experience of dealing with Action Fraud in the past 4 [ ]
Other (please specify) 5 [ ]
Don’t know 6 [ ]
Refused 7 [ ]

IF MULTIPLE FRAUD INCIDENCES EXPERIENCED (A1= >1 OR A2=>1)
For the next few questions I would like you to think about all incidents of fraud the business experienced in [IF A9a=1: 2020, IF A9a=2: 2019, IF A9a=3: 2018, IF A9a=4: 2017, IF A9a=5/6: the last 12 months].

IF EXPERIENCED FRAUD (A1=1-13)
A19 What was the total value of the goods, services or money stolen from the business as a result of incidents of fraud in [IF A9a=1: 2020, IF A9a=2: 2019, IF A9a=3: 2018, IF A9a=4: 2017, IF A9a=5/6: the last 12 months]?

OPEN NUMERIC
WRITE IN
Don’t know 1 [ ]
Refused 2 [ ]

IF DON’T KNOW OR REFUSED COST OF GOODS SERVICES OR MONEY TO THE BUSINESS (A19=1 OR 2)
A20 Which of the following bands covers the approximate value of the goods, services or money stolen from the business as a result of incidents of fraud in [IF A9a=1: 2020, IF A9a=2: 2019, IF A9a=3: 2018, IF A9a=4: 2017, IF A9a=5/6: the last 12 months]?

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
£0 1 [ ]
£1 - £19 2 [ ]
£20-£49.99 3 [ ]
£50 - £99.99 4 [ ]
£100 - £249 5 [ ]
£250 - £499 6 [ ]
£500 - £999 7 [ ]
£1,000 - £2,499 8 [ ]
£2,500 - £4,999 9 [ ]
£5,000 - £9,999 10 [ ]
£10,000 - £19,999 11 [ ]
£20,000 - £39,999 12 [ ]
£40,000 - £59,999 13 [ ]
£60,000 - £79,999 14 [ ]
£80,000 - £99,999 15 [ ]
£100,000 or more 16 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Not yet calculated 17 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 18 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 19 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED FRAUD (A1=1-13)
A21 What was the total value of the property that had to be replaced or fixed as a result of incidents of fraud in [IF A9a=1: 2020, IF A9a=2: 2019, IF A9a=3: 2018, IF A9a=4: 2017, IF A9a=5/6: the last 12 months]?

For example: the cost of IT systems or intellectual property that were damaged

OPEN NUMERIC
WRITE IN
Don’t know 1 [ ]
Refused 2 [ ]

IF DON’T KNOW OR REFUSED TOTAL COST TO PROPERTY (A21=1 OR 2)
A22 Which of the following bands covers the approximate value of the property that had to be replaced or fixed as a result of incidents of fraud in [IF A9a=1: 2020, IF A9a=2: 2019, IF A9a=3: 2018, IF A9a=4: 2017, IF A9a=5/6: the last 12 months]?

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
£0 1 [ ]
£1 - £19 2 [ ]
£20-£49.99 3 [ ]
£50 - £99.99 4 [ ]
£100 - £249 5 [ ]
£250 - £499 6 [ ]
£500 - £999 7 [ ]
£1,000 - £2,499 8 [ ]
£2,500 - £4,999 9 [ ]
£5,000 - £9,999 10 [ ]
£10,000 - £19,999 11 [ ]
£20,000 - £39,999 12 [ ]
£40,000 - £59,999 13 [ ]
£60,000 - £79,999 14 [ ]
£80,000 - £99,999 15 [ ]
£100,000 or more 16 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Not yet calculated 17 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 18 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 19 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED FRAUD (A1=1-13)
A23 What was the total cost of incidents of fraud in [IF A9a=1: 2020, IF A9a=2: 2019, IF A9a=3: 2018, IF A9a=4: 2017, IF A9a=5/6: the last 12 months] to the business in terms of lost output?

For example: the cost of down time or reduced productivity that occurred as a result
OPEN NUMERIC
WRITE IN
Don’t know 1 [ ]
Refused 2 [ ]

IF DON’T KNOW OR REFUSED THE TOTAL COST TO BUSINESS IN TERMS OF OUTPUT (A23=1 OR 2)
A24 Which of the following bands covers the approximate cost of incidents of fraud in [IF A9a=1: 2020, IF A9a=2: 2019, IF A9a=3: 2018, IF A9a=4: 2017, IF A9a=5/6: the last 12 months] to the business in terms of lost output?

For example: the cost of down time or reduced productivity

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
£0 1 [ ]
£1 - £19 2 [ ]
£20-£49.99 3 [ ]
£50 - £99.99 4 [ ]
£100 - £249 5 [ ]
£250 - £499 6 [ ]
£500 - £999 7 [ ]
£1,000 - £2,499 8 [ ]
£2,500 - £4,999 9 [ ]
£5,000 - £9,999 10 [ ]
£10,000 - £19,999 11 [ ]
£20,000 - £39,999 12 [ ]
£40,000 - £59,999 13 [ ]
£60,000 - £79,999 14 [ ]
£80,000 - £99,999 15 [ ]
£100,000 or more 16 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Not yet calculated 17 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 18 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 19 [ ]

IF FRAUD CAUSED LOSS OF MONEY TO BUSINESS (A19 OR A20 OR A21 OR A22 OR A23 OR A24=>£0)
A25 Were you able to recover any of the costs incurred as a result of incidents of fraud in [IF A9a=1: 2020, IF A9a=2: 2019, IF A9a=3: 2018, IF A9a=4: 2017, IF A9a=5/6: the last 12 months]?

DO NOT READ OUT SINGLE CODE
Yes – in full 1 [ ]
Yes – partially 2 [ ]
No 3 [ ]
Not yet resolved 4 [ ]
Don’t know 5 [ ]
Refused 6 [ ]

A26 QUESTION DELETED
A27 QUESTION DELETED
A28 QUESTION DELETED

IF EXPERIENCED FRAUD (A1=1-13)
A28b What, if any, other impacts has the business experienced as a consequence of incidents of fraud in [IF A9a=1: 2020, IF A9a=2: 2019, IF A9a=3: 2018, IF A9a=4: 2017, IF A9a=5/6: the last 12 months]?

READ OUT. MULTI CODE.
A business activity being stopped (for example, no longer providing a good or service) 1 [ ]
Reputational damage 2 [ ]
Loss of customers 3 [ ]
Difficulty recruiting staff 4 [ ]
A worse credit rating 5 [ ]
Negative effects on the well-being of staff (for example, stress or anxiety) 6 [ ]
New measures put in place to protect against fraud 7 [ ]
Fines or legal costs 8 [ ]
Anything else? (please specify) 9 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: No other impacts experienced 10 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 11 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 12 [ ]

A29 QUESTION DELETED
A30 QUESTION DELETED
A31 QUESTION DELETED
A32 QUESTION DELETED
A33 QUESTION DELETED
A34 QUESTION DELETED

IF NOT EXPERIENCED FRAUD IN LAST 3 YEARS (A1=14-16)
A37 Has your business experienced any attempted acts of fraud in the last 3 years?

DO NOT READ OUT SINGLE CODE
Yes 1 [ ]
No 2 [ ]
Don’t know 3 [ ]
Refused 4 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED ATTEMPTED ACTS OF FRAUD (A37=1)
A38 Over the last 3 years, how many known fraud attempts has your business experienced?

WRITE IN
Don’t know 1 [ ]
Refused 2 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED ATTEMPTED ACTS OF FRAUD (A37=1)
A39 In which year did your business last experience an attempted act of fraud?

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
2020 1 [ ]
2019 2 [ ]
2018 3 [ ]
2017 4 [ ]
Don’t know 5 [ ]
Refused 6 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED ATTEMPTED ACTS OF FRAUD (A37=1)
A40 Thinking of the most recent fraud attempt your business experienced, what did this involve?

WRITE IN
Don’t know/can’t remember 1 [ ]
Refused 2 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED ATTEMPTED ACTS OF FRAUD (A37=1)
A41 Thinking of the most recent fraud attempt your business experienced, how was it prevented?

WRITE IN
Don’t know/can’t remember 1 [ ]
Refused 2 [ ]

ASK ALL
A35 Overall to what extent do you think fraud is a common issue within your industry?
READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
Very uncommon 1 [ ]
Uncommon 2 [ ]
Neither common nor uncommon 3 [ ]
Common 4 [ ]
Very common 5 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 6 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 7 [ ]

IF GIVE AN ANSWER TO WHETHER FRAUD IS COMMON WITHIN THEIR INDUSTRY (A35=1-5)
A36 Why do you think that fraud is [RESPONSE AT A35] in your industry?
DO NO READ OUT. OPEN
WRITE IN
Don’t know 1 [ ]
Refused 2 [ ]

B Corruption

READ OUT TO ALL
I’d now like to move on to ask you some questions about corruption.

Corruption is defined as the abuse of a position of power for some kind of gain. Examples include, but are not limited to, offering or accepting any undue advantage (for example, bribes and favours) and exerting improper influence over decision-making processes.

ASK ALL
B1 Over the last 3 years, has your business experienced any of the following types of corruption?
READ OUT. MULTI CODE
People offering bribes 1 [ ]
Improper influence being put on people when making business decisions IF NECESSARY: For example, lobbying or other situations in which others try to influence the decision-making process for their own benefit 2 [ ]
People being unfairly favoured in business dealings, for example, winning contracts and access to information perhaps. IF NECESSARY: because they are a friend, family member or colleague 3 [ ]
People being favoured in recruitment and appointments. IF NECESSARY: because they are a friend, family member or colleague 4 [ ]
People having inappropriate conflicts of interest IF NECESSARY: For example, a situation in which a person is involved in multiple interests and serving an interest that adversely affect their organisation 5 [ ]
People conspiring to commit fraud IF NECESSARY: Might be referred to as collusion. The parties involved often are referred to as ‘cartels’. 6 [ ]
Any other types of corruption (PLEASE SPECIFY) 7 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Other 2 (PLEASE SPECIFY) 8 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Other 3 (PLEASE SPECIFY) 9 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: No, none of the above 10 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 11 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 12 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED CORRUPTION (B1=1-9)
B1a Did any of these occur in the last 12 months?

DS: ONLY SHOW CORRUPTION TYPES SELECTED AT B1

READ OUT. MULTI CODE.
People offering bribes 1 [ ]
Improper influence being put on people when making business decisions IF NECESSARY: For example, lobbying or other situations in which others try to influence the decision-making process for their own benefit 2 [ ]
People being unfairly favoured in business dealings, for example, winning contracts and access to information perhaps. IF NECESSARY: because they are a friend, family member or colleague 3 [ ]
People being favoured in recruitment and appointments. IF NECESSARY: because they are a friend, family member or colleague 4 [ ]
People having inappropriate conflicts of interest IF NECESSARY: For example, a situation in which a person is involved in multiple interests and serving an interest that adversely affect their organisation 5 [ ]
People conspiring to commit fraud IF NECESSARY: Might be referred to as collusion. The parties involved often are referred to as ‘cartels’. 6 [ ]
[IF B1=7: Other text 1] 7 [ ]
[IF B1=8: Other text 2] 8 [ ]
[IF B1=9: Other text 3] 9 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: No, none of the above 10 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 11 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 12 [ ]

SCRIPTING INSTRUCTION: LOOP QUESTIONS B2-B5. IF B2 = 1, SHOW OPTION A. IF B2 > 1, SHOW OPTION B.

IF EXPERIENCED CORRUPTION (B1=1-9)
B2 Over the last 3 years, how many times has your business experienced [B1_1-9]?

IF EXPERIENCED CORRUPTION (B1=1-9)
B3 [IF B2=1: Was this incident] [IF B2=>1: How many of these incidents were] carried out internally, by people that are directly employed by your business?

IF EXPERIENCED CORRUPTION (B1=1-9 AND (B3A=2 OR B3B=0))
B4 [IF B2=1: Was this incident] [IF B2=>1: How many of these incidents were] carried out externally, by people that are not directly employed by your business?

IF EXPERIENCED CORRUPTION (B1=1-9)
B5 [IF B2=1: Did this incident impact] [IF B2=>1: How many of these incidents impacted] the business? For example, caused inconvenience or a financial loss .

OPTION A (B2=1)
Yes 1 [ ]
No 2 [ ]
Don’t know 3 [ ]
Refused 4 [ ]

OPTION B (B2 >1)
WRITE IN
Don’t know 1 [ ]
Refused 2 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED MULTIPLE TYPES OF CORRUPTION (B1 > 1 CODED)
B6 Of the different incidents of corruption your business has experienced over the last 3 years, what was the most recent?

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
IF B1=1: People offering bribes 1 [ ]
IF B1=2: Improper influence being put on people when making business decisions IF NECESSARY: For example, lobbying or other situations in which others try to influence the decision-making process for their own benefit 2 [ ]
IF B1=3: People being unfairly favoured in business dealings, for example, winning contracts and access to information perhaps. IF NECESSARY: because they are a friend, family member or colleague 3 [ ]
IF B1=4: People being favoured in recruitment and appointments. IF NECESSARY: because they are a friend, family member or colleague 4 [ ]
IF B1=5: People having inappropriate conflicts of interest IF NECESSARY: For example, a situation in which a person is involved in multiple interests and serving an interest that adversely affect their organisation 5 [ ]
IF B1=6: People conspiring to commit fraud IF NECESSARY: Might be referred to as collusion. The parties involved often are referred to as ‘cartels’. 6 [ ]
IF B1=7: [OTHER 1 TEXT] 7 [ ]
IF B1=8: [OTHER 2 TEXT] 8 [ ]
IF B1=9: [OTHER 3 TEXT] 9 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 10 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 11 [ ]

IF DON’T KNOW OR REFUSED TO MENTION MOST RECENT (B6= 10/11)
B7 In that case, of the different types of corruption your business has experienced over the last 3 years, which would you be most comfortable discussing?

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
IF B1=1: People offering bribes 1 [ ]
IF B1=2: Improper influence being put on people when making business decisions IF NECESSARY: For example, lobbying or other situations in which others try to influence the decision-making process for their own benefit 2 [ ]
IF B1=3: People being unfairly favoured in business dealings, for example, winning contracts and access to information perhaps. IF NECESSARY: because they are a friend, family member or colleague 3 [ ]
IF B1=4: People being favoured in recruitment and appointments.IF NECESSARY: because they are a friend, family member or colleague 4 [ ]
IF B1=5: People having inappropriate conflicts of interest IF NECESSARY: For example, a situation in which a person is involved in multiple interests and serving an interest that adversely affect their organisation 5 [ ]
IF B1=6: People conspiring to commit fraud IF NECESSARY: Might be referred to as collusion. The parties involved often are referred to as ‘cartels’. 6 [ ]
IF B1=7: [OTHER 1 TEXT] 7 [ ]
IF B1=8: [OTHER 2 TEXT] 8 [ ]
IF B1=9: [OTHER 3 TEXT] 9 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: None 10 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 11 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 12 [ ]

READ OUT IF DON’T KNOW OR REFUSED TO STATE WHICH TYPE OF CORRUPTION THEY WOULD BE MOST COMFORTABLE DISCUSSING (B7 = 11/12)
In that case, I would like to discuss your business’ experience of [SELECT RANDOM TYPE OF CORRUPTION EXPERIENCED AT B1].

READ OUT IF ABLE TO IDENTIFY MOST RECENT TYPE/WILLING TO DISCUSS (B1=SINGLE CODE OR B6= 1-9 OR B7=1-9)
For the next few questions, I would like to focus on your business’ experience of [B1_1-9].

IF ABLE TO IDENTIFY MOST RECENT TYPE/WILLING TO DISCUSS (B1=SINGLE CODE OR B6= 1-9 OR B7≠10)
B7a In which year did your business last experience this type of corruption?

2020 1 [ ]
2019 2 [ ]
2018 3 [ ]
2017 4 [ ]
Don’t know 5 [ ]
Refused 6 [ ]

IF ABLE TO IDENTIFY MOST RECENT TYPE/WILLING TO DISCUSS (B1=SINGLE CODE OR B6= 1-9 OR B7≠10)
B8 Who was actively involved in this incident?
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTI CODE
An existing client/customer 1 [ ]
Someone impersonating a client/customer 2 [ ]
An existing contractor 3 [ ]
Someone impersonating a contractor 4 [ ]
An existing supplier 5 [ ]
Someone impersonating a supplier 6 [ ]
An existing employee 7 [ ]
A previous employee 8 [ ]
Some impersonating an employee 9 [ ]
Competitors 10 [ ]
Someone else (please specify) 11 [ ]
Don’t know 12 [ ]
Refused 13 [ ]

IF ABLE TO IDENTIFY MOST RECENT TYPE/WILLING TO DISCUSS (B1=SINGLE CODE OR B6= 1-9 OR B7≠10)
B9 How was this incident of corruption conducted?
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE
In Person 1 [ ]
Via Email 2 [ ]
Via letter 3 [ ]
Via phone 4 [ ] Via hacking or unauthorised access 5 [ ]
Other (please specify) 6 [ ]
Don’t know 7 [ ]

B10 QUESTION DELETED

IF ABLE TO IDENTIFY MOST RECENT TYPE/WILLING TO DISCUSS (B1=SINGLE CODE OR B6= 1-9 OR B7≠10)
B11 What do you think the objective of the people involved was?
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE
To influence a decision (for example, who a contract is awarded to) 1 [ ]
To earn money 2 [ ]
Access to information 3 [ ]
To gain status 4 [ ]
To create good relations for future advantage 5 [ ]
Access to goods or services 6 [ ]
Access to a project 7 [ ]
Other (please specify) 8 [ ]
Don’t know 9 [ ]
Refused 10 [ ]

IF ABLE TO IDENTIFY MOST RECENT TYPE/WILLING TO DISCUSS (B1=SINGLE CODE OR B6= 1-9 OR B7≠10)
B12 What, if anything, was being offered or exchanged between those involved in the incident?
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE
Money 1 [ ]
Gifts (for example, meals, events or jewellery) 2 [ ]
Discounted goods or services 3 [ ]
Information 4 [ ]
Further work/supply 5 [ ]
Relationships/sexual favours 6 [ ]
Threats of violence 7 [ ]
Blackmail 8 [ ]
A role / position in the business 9 [ ]
Other (please specify) 10 [ ]
Nothing/not applicable 11 [ ]
Don’t know 11 [ ]
Refused 12 [ ]

IF ABLE TO IDENTIFY MOST RECENT TYPE/WILLING TO DISCUSS (B1=SINGLE CODE OR B6= 1-9 OR B7≠10)
B13 Was the incident reported?
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
Yes 1 [ ]
No 2 [ ]
Don’t know 3 [ ]

IF CORRUPTION WAS REPORTED (B13=1)
B14 Who was the incident reported to?
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE
Police 1 [ ]
Serious Fraud Office 2 [ ]
Bank 3 [ ]
Regulator 4 [ ]
National Crime Agency 5 [ ]
Trading Standards 6 [ ]
Superiors in business (for example, director or owner) 7 [ ]
Other (please specify) 8 [ ]
Don’t know 9 [ ]
Refused 10 [ ]

IF CORRUPTION WAS NOT REPORTED (B13=2)
B15 Why was the incident not reported?
DO NOT READ OUT. MULTICODE
Private matter/ dealt with internally 1 [ ]
Small effect on business – not worth reporting 2 [ ]
No effect on business- not worth reporting 3 [ ]
Unaware of who it should be reported to 4 [ ]
Previous bad experience of reporting corruption 5 [ ]
Inconvenient/too much hassle 6 [ ]
It’s a common occurrence 7 [ ]
Concerned about repercussions 8 [ ]
Concerned about potential reputational damage 9 [ ]
Other (please specify) 10 [ ]
Don’t know 11 [ ]
Refused 12 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED CORRUPTION (B1=1-9)
B16 What was the total cost to the business of corruption incidents in [IF B7a=1: 2020, IF B7a=2: 2019, IF B7a=3: 2018, IF B7a=4: 2017, IF B7a=5/6: the last 12 months]?

For example, the cost of lost contracts or fines.
OPEN NUMERIC
WRITE IN
Don’t know 1 [ ]
Refused 2 [ ]

IF DON’T KNOW OR REFUSED TO ANSWER WHAT THE TOTAL COST OF GOODS, SERVICES OR MONEY STOLEN WAS TO THE BUSINESS (B16=1 OR 2)
B17 Which of the following bands covers the approximate cost to the business of corruption of incidents in [IF B7a=1: 2020, IF B7a=2: 2019, IF B7a=3: 2018, IF B7a=4: 2017, IF B7a=5/6: the last 12 months]?

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
£0 1 [ ]
£1 - £19 2 [ ]
£20-£49.99 3 [ ]
£50 - £99.99 4 [ ]
£100 - £249 5 [ ]
£250 - £499 6 [ ]
£500 - £999 7 [ ]
£1,000 - £2,499 8 [ ]
£2,500 - £4,999 9 [ ]
£5,000 - £9,999 10 [ ]
£10,000 - £19,999 11 [ ]
£20,000 - £39,999 12 [ ]
£40,000 - £59,999 13 [ ]
£60,000 - £79,999 14 [ ]
£80,000 - £99,999 15 [ ]
£100,000 or more 16 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Not yet calculated 17 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 18 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 19 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED CORRUPTION (B1=1-9)
B17b What, if any, other impacts has the business experienced as a consequence of corruption incidents in [IF B7a=1: 2020, IF B7a=2: 2019, IF B7a=3: 2018, IF B7a=4: 2017, IF B7a=5/6: the last 12 months]?

READ OUT. MULTICODE.
A business activity being stopped (for example, no longer providing a good or service) 1 [ ]
Reputational damage 2 [ ]
Loss of customers 3 [ ]
Difficulty recruiting staff 4 [ ]
A worse credit rating 5 [ ]
Negative effects on the well-being of staff (for example, stress or anxiety) 6 [ ]
New measures put in place to protect against corruption 7 [ ]
Fines or legal costs 8 [ ]
Anything else? (please specify) 9 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: No other impacts experienced 10 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 11 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 12 [ ]

B18 QUESTION DELETED
B19 QUESTION DELETED
B20 QUESTION DELETED
B21 QUESTION DELETED

IF NOT EXPERIENCED CORRUPTION IN LAST 3 YEARS (B1=10-12)
B24 Has your business experienced any attempted acts of corruption in the last 3 years?

DO NOT READ OUT SINGLE CODE
Yes 1 [ ]
No 2 [ ]
Don’t know 3 [ ]
Refused 4 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED ATTEMPTED ACTS OF CORRUPTION (B24=1)
B25 Over the last 3 years, how many known corruption attempts has your business experienced?

WRITE IN
Don’t know 1 [ ]
Refused 2 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED ATTEMPTED ACTS OF CORRUPTION (B24=1)
B26 In which year did your business last experience an attempted act of corruption?

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
2020 1 [ ]
2019 2 [ ]
2018 3 [ ]
2017 4 [ ]
Don’t know 5 [ ]
Refused 6 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED ATTEMPTED ACTS OF CORRUPTION (B24=1)
B27 Thinking of the most recent corruption attempt your business experienced, what did this involve?

WRITE IN
Don’t know/can’t remember 1 [ ]
Refused 2 [ ]

IF EXPERIENCED ATTEMPTED ACTS OF CORRUPTION (B24=1)
B28 Thinking of the most recent corruption attempt your business experienced, how was it prevented?

WRITE IN
Don’t know/can’t remember 1 [ ]
Refused 2 [ ]

ASK ALL
B22 Overall, to what extent do you think corruption is a common issue within your industry?

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
Very uncommon 1 [ ]
Uncommon 2 [ ]
Neither common nor uncommon 3 [ ]
Common 4 [ ]
Very common 5 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 6 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 7 [ ]

IF ANSWERED WHETHER THEY THINK CORRUPTION WAS COMMON WITHIN THE INDUSTRY (B22=1-5)
B23 Why do you think that corruption is [RESPONSE AT B22] in your industry?
OPEN
WRITE IN
Don’t know 1 [ ]
Refused 2 [ ]

C Measures to prevent fraud and corruption

ASK ALL
C1 Which of the following measures do you have in place to protect your business from becoming the victim of fraud and corruption?

READ OUT. MULTI CODE
Internal audits 1 [ ]
External audits 2 [ ]
Internal analysis/checks 3 [ ]
Surveillance (for example, CCTV) 4 [ ]
IT security (for example, spam filter or anti-virus software) 5 [ ]
Whistleblowing policy/hotline 6 [ ]
Anti-fraud policy 7 [ ]
Anti-corruption policy 8 [ ]
Staff specifically trained to counter fraud and corruption 9 [ ]
Anti-fraud and corruption campaigns and staff-training 10 [ ]
Vetting/Screening of staff in key positions above normal standards 11 [ ]
Anything else (please specify) 12 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: None 13 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 14 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 15 [ ]

IF HAVE MEASURES IN PLACE TO PREVENT FRAUD AND CORRUPTION (C1= 1-6 OR 9-12)
C1a Are these measures primarily intended to protect your business from fraud, corruption, or both?

DS: ONLY SHOW MEASURES SELECTED AT C1

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE FOR EACH MEASURE

	Fraud	Corruption	Both	DNRO: Don’t know	DNRO: Refused
_1 Internal audits	1	2	3	4	5
_2 External audits	1	2	3	4	5
_3 Internal analysis/checks	1	2	3	4	5
_4 Surveillance (for example, CCTV)	1	2	3	4	5
_5 IT security (for example, spam filter or anti-virus software)	1	2	3	4	5
_6 Whistleblowing policy/hotline	1	2	3	4	5
_7 Staff specifically trained to counter fraud and corruption	1	2	3	4	5
_8 Anti-fraud and corruption campaigns and staff-training	1	2	3	4	5
_9 Vetting/Screening of staff in key positions above normal standards	1	2	3	4	5
_10 C1_12	1	2	3	4	5

IF HAVE MEASURES IN PLACE TO PREVENT FRAUD AND CORRUPTION (C1= 1-12)
C2 Over the last 12 months, how much has it cost the business to put these measures in place?
OPEN NUMERIC
WRITE IN
Don’t know 1 [ ]
Refused 2 [ ]

IF DON’T KNOW OR REFUSED TO ANSWER HOW MUCH IT COST THE BUSINESS TO PUT FRAUD AND CORRUPTION MEASURES IN PLACE (C2=1 OR 2)
C3 Which of the following ranges covers the approximate cost to the business to put these measures in place over the last 12 months?

READ OUT. SINGLE CODE
£0 1 [ ]
£1 - £19 2 [ ]
£20-£49.99 3 [ ]
£50 - £99.99 4 [ ]
£100 - £249 5 [ ]
£250 - £499 6 [ ]
£500 - £999 7 [ ]
£1,000 - £2,499 8 [ ]
£2,500 - £4,999 9 [ ]
£5,000 - £9,999 10 [ ]
£10,000 - £19,999 11 [ ]
£20,000 - £39,999 12 [ ]
£40,000 - £59,999 13 [ ]
£60,000 - £79,999 14 [ ]
£80,000 - £99,999 15 [ ]
£100,000 or more 16 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Not yet calculated 17 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 18 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 19 [ ]

IF HAVE MEASURES IN PLACE AND HAVE EXPERIENCED FRAUD/CORRUPTION OR ATTEMPTED FRAUD/CORRUPTION (C1=1-12 AND (A1 = 1-14 OR A37=1 OR B1=1-9 OR B24=1)
C4 Which, if any, of these measures were introduced or improved since the most recent [IF A1 = 1-14 OR B1=1-9: incident of fraud or corruption] [IF A37=1 OR B24=1: attempted act of fraud or corruption]?

DS: ONLY SHOW MEASURES SELECTED AT C1

READ OUT. MULTI CODE
Internal audits 1 [ ]
External audits 2 [ ]
Internal analysis/checks 3 [ ]
Surveillance (for example, CCTV) 4 [ ]
IT security (for example, spam filter or anti-virus software) 5 [ ]
Whistleblowing policy/hotline 6 [ ]
Anti-fraud policy 7 [ ]
Anti-corruption policy 8 [ ]
Staff specifically trained to counter fraud and corruption 9 [ ]
Anti-fraud and corruption campaigns and staff-training 10 [ ]
Vetting/Screening of staff in key positions above normal standards 11 [ ]
Anything else (please specify) 12 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: None 13 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Don’t know 14 [ ]
DO NOT READ OUT: Refused 15 [ ]

D Thank and close

ASK ALL
D1a Thank you very much for taking the time to speak to me today. Before we finish, could you please tell me your job title?

WRITE IN
Refused 1 [ ]

ASK ALL
D1 Would you be willing for IFF Research to call you back regarding this study, if we need to clarify any of the information? This would be before the end of the project, which is expected to be in May 2021.
DO NOT READ OUT. SINGLE CODE.
Yes 1 [ ]
No 2 [ ]

IF CONSENT TO RECONTACT (D1 = 1)
D2 And could I just check, is [PHONE NUMBER] the best number to call you on?
Yes 1 [ ]
No (write in number) 2 [ ]

ASK ALL
D3 Finally, I would just like to confirm that this survey has been carried out under IFF instructions and within the rules of the MRS Code of Conduct. On behalf of the Home Office and IFF Research, thank you very much for your time today.
Read out 1 [ ]

THANK RESPONDENT AND CLOSE INTERVIEW

8. Appendix B: Invitation email and data sheet

Dear Sir/Madam,

Home Office: Research into Fraud and Corruption

The Home Office has commissioned IFF Research, an independent research company, to conduct important research to explore the scale and experiences of fraud and corruption amongst UK businesses.

The research will feed into the government’s anti-corruption strategy and the Economic Crime Plan 2019-2022, the intention being to build a deeper understanding of fraud and corruption in the UK so that the Home Office can provide evidence-based interventions. This will strengthen the UK’s ability to reduce the scale of fraud and corruption, thereby benefitting both the public and businesses.

IFF Research will be conducting telephone interviews between January and May 2020. The interviews will last around 20 minutes and will focus on whether your business has fallen victim to fraud or corruption, and if so, the impact it had on your business, as well as exploring your views on the extent to which you think fraud and corruption are widespread issues in your industry.

We would value your participation regardless of whether your business has experienced any incidences of fraud or corruption.

If you do not consider yourself to be best placed to discuss these topics on behalf of your business, we would be grateful if you could pass this email on to the most appropriate individual.

A document is provided below to help the relevant individual prepare for the interview. We recommend that this document is read and completed in advance of the interview as it will make completing the survey quicker and easier.

In accordance with Market Research Society guidelines, all information provided will be treated in the strictest confidence and reported by IFF Research to the Home Office on an aggregated and anonymous basis.

If you are willing to take part then you do not have to do anything, IFF Research will be in contact in due course. If you would rather not take part, or do not think the research is relevant to you, please contact [REDACTED]. Further details on the research content can also be obtained from the Home Office contact: [REDACTED].

We would like to thank you in advance for your help.

Yours faithfully,
[REDACTED]

Data sheet

This document is designed to help you prepare for the interview, so that you can become familiar with the terminology and so that you don’t have to remember figures off the top of your head. Where precise figures are unavailable, estimates are perfectly acceptable.

Please do not return this document to either the Home Office or IFF Research. The document is intended for your personal use only.

What is fraud?
Fraud is defined as the use of deception or deceit for personal gain, often (but not always) resulting in a financial loss for the victim. In a business setting fraud can be conducted internally (for example, by employees) or by external actors (for example, by customers). Examples include: banking and credit card frauds, fraudulent contracts, failure to disclose information (for example, earnings) or disclosure of false information (for example, false accounting or working hours).

What is corruption?
Corruption is defined as the abuse of a position of power for some kind of gain. Examples include, but are not limited to, offering or accepting any undue advantage (for example, bribes and favours) and exerting improper influence over decision-making processes.

During the survey we’d like to discuss your business’s most recent experience of fraud, if any, between 2017 and now. Thinking about all fraud incidents in the year your business most recently experienced fraud (for example, 2018)…

What was the total value of the goods, services or money stolen from the business?
£___

What was the total value of the property that had to be replaced or fixed?

For example: the cost of IT systems or intellectual property that were damaged
£___

What was the total cost to the business in terms of lost output?

For example: the cost of down time or reduced productivity
£___

During the survey we’d like to discuss your business’s most recent experience of corruption, if any, between 2017 and now. Thinking about all corruption incidents in the year your business most recently experienced corruption (for example, 2018)…

What was the total cost to the business?

For example, the cost of lost contracts or fines.
£___

“IFF Research illuminates the world for organisations businesses and individuals helping them to make better-informed decisions.”

Our Values:

1. Being human first:

Whether employer or employee, client or collaborator, we are all humans first and foremost. Recognising this essential humanity is central to how we conduct our business, and how we lead our lives. We respect and accommodate each individual’s way of thinking, working and communicating, mindful of the fact that each has their own story and means of telling it.

2. Impartiality and independence:

IFF is a research-led organisation which believes in letting the evidence do the talking. We don’t undertake projects with a preconception of what “the answer” is, and we don’t hide from the truths that research reveals. We are independent, in the research we conduct, of political flavour or dogma. We are open-minded, imaginative and intellectually rigorous.

3. Making a difference:

At IFF, we want to make a difference to the clients we work with, and we work with clients who share our ambition for positive change. We expect all IFF staff to take personal responsibility for everything they do at work, which should always be the best they can deliver.

1. A 2-stage telephone matching exercise was undertaken: automated telephone matching via UK Changes followed by manual desk research. ↩

2. The total number of businesses in the underlying population was 1,154,840. ↩

3. Design Effects (deff). ↩

4. Effective Sample Size. ↩