Members of AMSRO and the public will be able to use the new ‘Phish of the Day’ website to report scams or non-genuine research activities, such as selling masquerading as research (‘sugging’).

AMSRO will investigate the report and then either work with the organisation to improve their practices so that they are compliant or report them to regulatory or enforcement bodies.

Craig Young, president at AMSRO, said: “Trust and accountability are central issues for the general public and company leaders. While our member organisations take every possible precaution to protect consumer data and are bound to act in an ethical manner, unfortunately, fraudulent activity occasionally targets research companies.

“AMSRO believes it is incumbent on the market and social research industry in Australia to take a more proactive stance in order to protect the public from unscrupulous operators, if we are to expect ongoing co-operation from the public, whose opinions are the lifeblood of our industry.”

AMSRO member companies operate under an industry trust mark signifying that they adhere to its code of ethics and Australia’s Australian Privacy Principles (APP), and have an independent annual audit for ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation) certification.