Suspected Impostor Participants in Online Qualitative Interviews: Lessons From a Qualitative Study on Complex Health Conditions

The shift to virtual qualitative research during and after the COVID-19 pandemic has increased accessibility to interviews and focus groups, while also introducing new risks related to participant misrepresentation and data integrity. Incentivized qualitative studies have become targets for individuals or coordinated groups seeking compensation through fraudulent participation. This exploratory case study, based on firsthand research with suspected fraudulent participants (n=8) via email and interviews, examines how inauthentic participation may manifest in virtual qualitative research using AI tools. I describe suspected warning signs across several stages of the research process, including email patterns, interview behavior, and the use of AI-assisted communication or visuals to examine solutions. Ethical challenges related to questioned authenticity are examined, along with several strategies to mitigate risk. These observations are exploratory and should not be interpreted as confirmed or validated indicators of fraud. Addressing participant authenticity in virtual qualitative research is essential to safeguarding data quality, supporting researchers’ safety, and maintaining ethical rigor as virtual data collection and emerging technologies continue to reshape qualitative inquiry.