From the CEO of Dynata:
I am writing to you today in light of recent industry events. US-based survey company, Op4G / Slice MR, has been accused of providing fraudulent survey data to global companies, brands, universities, and healthcare systems.
This is a watershed moment for the market research industry. I am deeply frustrated that there are, and will continue to be, bad actors in our industry. I come to you today because as a market research professional, you simply cannot afford to second guess the quality of the data you are using–period.
Dynata stands alone in the pursuit of providing high-quality survey data and we have been for years. …
From the DOJ (Eight Defendants Indicted in International Conspiracy to Bill $10 Million for Fraudulent Market Survey Data):
According to the indictment, Op4G and Slice were market research companies based in the United States. Clients would hire the companies to conduct market research surveys. As part of their business model, Op4G and Slice maintained “panels” consisting of individuals potentially eligible to take surveys. In 2014, Hayden, Harriman, and Nappo, who were senior leaders at Op4G, decided to increase company revenues by generating fabricated survey data. To execute the scheme, some of the defendants recruited “ants”, who pretended to be legitimate survey takers but instead were paid a nominal fee for completing surveys that produced fraudulent market research data. Some of the defendants even served as “ants” and fraudulently took large quantities of surveys themselves and received significant payment for their “ant” work.
In or around 2018, Nappo, Hayden and others, decided that Op4G should move the fraudulent survey operation to a new company, which became Slice. …
Companies that purchased survey data from Op4G or Slice between 2014-2024 are encouraged to contact the U.S. Attorney’s office at usanh.webmail@usdoj.gov with the subject line “Slice”.
Here is a Google Scholar search for Op4G: https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0%2C34&q=op4g&btnG=. It looks like mostly health research.
Note: I’ve been using Dynata since forever.
