We Got Scammed: A Cautionary Tale About Research Recruitment Fraud

Online research recruitment is a powerful tool—until it backfires. We recently learned this the hard way when we and our colleagues over at Dawn Chorus posted a call for participants on Facebook for parents to share their experiences and perceptions of substance use patterns within a specific community. What happened next left us stunned, frustrated, and much wiser.

Our goal was simple: recruit a few individuals (10-20) with lived experience of substance use disorders to participate in our study. Within what felt like hours, all 125 slots were filled. Now, we had that many slots because we wanted to be accessible.

At first, we were thrilled—until we looked closer.

The Red Flags We Almost Missed

It didn’t take long for things to feel…off. At first, we chalked up the overwhelming response to good outreach. But soon, some clear warning signs emerged. Here’s what tipped us off:

1. Registrations Came in Bulk

Our recruitment form on Facebook seemed to explode overnight. Dozens of sign-ups poured in at once, often within seconds of each other. It was as if a switch had been flipped, and suddenly, we had more participants than we knew what to do with.

This kind of influx isn’t typical. Organic sign-ups tend to trickle in over time, especially when targeting a specific population. But in this case, we saw a flood of responses in unnaturally large waves.

2. Suspiciously Similar Email Addresses

A closer look at the email addresses of our “participants” set off more alarm bells. Nearly every one followed the same pattern: firstname.lastname123@gmail.com, firstname.lastname456@gmail.com, and so on. (we did actually get two real sign-ups…emails that didn’t correspond to the

This kind of uniformity doesn’t happen by coincidence. It became clear that these weren’t unique individuals signing up but likely one or more bad actors using multiple email accounts to game the system.

3. Geographic Discrepancies

Calendly, our scheduling tool, turned out to be an unexpected hero in this situation. Thanks to the time zone settings, we noticed something strange—many of our “local” participants were registering from West Africa and the Pacific Coast, nowhere near our county.

Given that our study was geographically specific, these registrations made zero sense. It became clear that whoever was behind this scam was hoping to collect an incentive—without any real connection to our research.

How We Responded

Initially, we were caught off guard. We had never encountered fraud on this scale in our research recruitment before. But after taking a step back, we developed a plan to regain control of the study.

1. We Paused Recruitment

Once we identified the suspicious patterns, we temporarily halted sign-ups to prevent further fraudulent registrations. This gave us time to investigate and adjust our screening process.

2. We Implemented Additional Verification Steps

We realized that simply collecting an email and name wasn’t enough. Moving forward, we added a few extra layers of verification, such as:

• Asking for referrals – Encouraging current participants to recommend others they know personally helped us recruit genuine individuals.
• Requiring local phone numbers – This made it harder for non-local scammers to slip through the cracks.
• Conducting brief screening calls – A quick phone conversation before confirming participation helped weed out fraudulent registrants.

3. We Removed the Monetary Incentive from Public Postings

One hard truth we learned? Money attracts scammers. While incentives are often necessary to compensate participants fairly, advertising them upfront made us a target. Moving forward, we opted to disclose incentive details only during private conversations with verified participants.

Lessons Learned: How to Protect Your Research from Scammers

Our experience was a wake-up call. If you’re conducting online research, here’s what we recommend to avoid falling into the same trap:

• Watch for Bulk Registrations – A flood of sign-ups in a short period is a red flag. If it feels too good to be true, it probably is.
• Examine Email Patterns – Similar email structures, especially with name.number formats, should make you pause.
• Check Time Zones and Locations – If your study is location-specific, use scheduling tools to verify whether participants align with your targeted geography.
• Limit Incentive Visibility – Consider disclosing compensation details only after participants pass an initial screening.
• Use Multi-Step Verification – A quick phone call, a referral system, or identity checks can go a long way in ensuring participants are real.

Final Thoughts

Online recruitment is here to stay, but that doesn’t mean it comes without risks. Scammers are getting smarter, and as researchers, we need to be even smarter.

What happened to us was frustrating, but we’re sharing our experience so others can avoid the same pitfalls. By staying vigilant and implementing safeguards, we can protect the integrity of our research—and ensure that the voices we’re hearing are the ones that truly matter.

Have you ever encountered fraudulent participants in your research? Let’s talk about it—share your experiences in the comments below!

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