Is Fraud Contagious? Social Connections and the Looting of COVID Relief Programs
研究发现，美国薪资保护计划（PPP）中的欺诈指标高度地理集中，且通过社会网络在空间上传播；社交媒体群组中的个体欺诈率更高，社会联系紧密的地区常使用相同的金融科技贷款机构。
Abstract Fraud indicators within the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a major COVID relief program, are highly geographically concentrated. ZIP codes and counties with high rates of suspicious PPP loans are strongly social connected, with evidence that fraud spreads spatially over time through social networks. Individuals in suspicious social media groups have higher rates of PPP fraud, and socially connected ZIP codes frequently use the same specific FinTech lenders, consistent with social networks influencing detailed loan decisions. Our findings suggest that more proactive data analysis is needed for fraud prevention, detection, and prosecution to prevent the social spread of fraudulent schemes.