How to Appeal to Investors with Fraud Prevention Messages: Findings from a Survey of a Segment of Pre-Retirement Investors

Under the Commodity Exchange Act (CEA), the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) is responsible for performing outreach activities "designed to help customers protect themselves from fraud and other violations of the CEA." As part of this effort, the CFTC developed and tested a series of messages targeting investors who are prime targets for investor fraud. Focus groups were conducted and an online survey was distributed to test the messages. Findings from both phases of this research will be used to develop messages, tone, and imagery for the CFTC's anti-fraud outreach efforts.