At Nepa, data quality and integrity are absolutely central to our operations. We understand that the trust our clients place in us is the foundation of our business. Fredrik Olsson, our internal expert on data quality, shares his thoughts on the ongoing situation.
In April 2025, a major international market research fraud scandal was uncovered, involving the creation of fake data worth $10 million. Eight individuals were indicted in the U.S. for orchestrating a scheme that manipulated market research panels by fabricating fake respondents, known as “ants,” who provided fraudulent answers. This incident has raised critical concerns about the integrity of data used in business decision-making.
“This scandal has had a significant impact on our industry. We want to be clear: at Nepa, we are fully committed to ensuring that our clients receive the highest quality data. We operate with transparency, rigorous quality standards, and ethical guidelines. While this incident may cause concern, we want to reassure our clients that our approach is built on these core values.” says Fredrik Olsson.
This scandal underscores the importance of having robust quality controls in place within market research. At Nepa, we have implemented automated systems and processes that allow us to quickly identify and stop fraudulent respondents and suppliers. In 2024 alone, we blocked 44 supply sources globally, and we can confidently say that the panel company involved in the scandal has never been a direct partner of ours.
“We have full confidence in our supplier vetting processes and data quality controls. We are always prepared to act quickly to prevent fraud, and our partnerships with trusted suppliers help us maintain data integrity,” says Fredrik Olsson.
This incident also highlights the need for greater collaboration within the market research industry to combat fraud. Nepa has chosen to sign the Global Data Quality Excellence Pledge, committing to uphold the highest quality standards and actively work towards achieving the data reliability and transparency the industry needs.
“This incident further highlights the need for collaboration within the market research industry to combat fraud. At Nepa, we have chosen to sign the Global Data Quality Excellence Pledge, committing to uphold the highest quality standards and actively work towards achieving the data reliability and transparency the industry needs.”
At Nepa, we believe that the only way to fight fraud is through state-of-the-art tools and processes, along with genuine collaboration between all players — from suppliers to agencies to corporate buyers. Our use of automated third-party data cleaning tools (Quality Score) has proven to be highly effective, particularly for our continuous data collection processes.
“This serves as a reminder of the importance of never taking data quality for granted,” says Fredrik Olsson.
“At Nepa, we are committed to staying vigilant, working with trusted partners, and applying the best practices to ensure our clients receive reliable insights that drive their business forward.”
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