Forsta shields against hackers and eradicates ghost completes with new S2S connection

August 27, 2024 LONDON — Leading market research technology developer Forsta has collaborated with top industry sample providers to eradicate fraudulent ‘ghost completes’ by launching a server-to-server (S2S) connection in Forsta Surveys, formerly known as Decipher. The new software ensures that survey findings are always accurate, measurable, and complete.

The S2S connection creates a secure, direct link between Forsta, the sample providers, and buyers, enabling instant sharing of participants’ survey response statuses. By creating one secure data-sharing pathway, S2S blocks fraudsters from bypassing the system and jumping the survey, preventing waste and leakage and reducing research costs for sample providers.

Ghost completes, where fraudulent survey respondents manipulate survey redirect links to falsify their completion status and wrongfully claim compensation or rewards, are endemic to 15-30% of all market research data collected according to a recent study by Fast Company.

“It’s no secret that survey fraud is a growing problem in our industry, compromising data integrity and wasting valuable resources.

S2S brings stakeholders together in a way not currently seen in the industry. By creating a secure connection with the sample provider in Forsta Surveys, it is simple and efficient to safeguard the integrity of data while optimizing resource utilization.”

Kyle Ferguson
Chief Executive Officer, Forsta.

Forsta’s easy-to-use platform seamlessly connects sample suppliers like Dynata, Azure, Innovate and SAGO to businesses, making it more efficient than ever for market research companies to attain reliable results.

Building on the success of the S2S, the market research expert recently partnered with sample management platform PureSpectrum to facilitate the integration of a secure connection directly from its platform to prevent fraud and shield against hackers.

“We are excited to offer a direct connection with our partner, Forsta Surveys, and add another layer to PureScore™, our industry leading, AI powered respondent-level data quality scoring model. The partnership reinforces our commitment to fighting fraud in the industry and to continue to deliver quality survey responses to our customers.

This direct server communication ensures the security and efficiency of our data exchanges and protects against link tampering; all while maintaining a seamless experience for our clients. By collaborating with Forsta, we’ve achieved a critical balance between security and user experience.”

Todd Myers
Chief Operating Officer, PureSpectrum

Forsta’s S2S connection helps sample providers detect fraudulent survey respondents by sending an API notification when a survey is completed. This allows the provider to review and identify ghost completes based on the API call. To use this feature, clients obtain their provider’s API key before configuring the secure sample. 

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