Although there are plenty of legitimate online paid survey websites out there, you may also come across platforms promising a lucrative side income or one-time easy cash for offering your opinion. Don’t be fooled or get scammed.
Often, these deceptive sites will try to lure you in with false promises and then potentially compromise your personal and financial information. Fortunately, it’s simple to tell whether an online paid survey site is legitimate or a scam.
Here are five red flags to avoid when looking for online survey opportunities:
1. Offers of High Sign-up Bonuses
If you come across an offer from an online paid survey site promising hundreds or even thousands of dollars as a sign-up bonus to take surveys, it should definitely raise a big red flag. Be wary of such an offer, as the website could be a scam to gather sensitive information from you.
2. Promises of Free, Expensive Products or Services
Nothing in life is free, except the air we breathe. In that vein, any online paid survey site that offers free, expensive products or services like a new laptop or a vacation to Turks and Caicos is a red flag. Bottom line: If the offer is too good to be true, it probably is.
3. Assurances of Being Able to Quit Your Full-time Job
Legitimate online paid survey sites will never indicate that you can replace your full-time job with the earnings you get from taking surveys. On the contrary, it’s common knowledge that this side hustle is a supplemental income source only. Yes, you can be paid cash via PayPal or in gift cards, but the rewards you earn won’t necessarily be overly substantial. Indeed, no online paid survey site on the up and up will ever try to exaggerate more earnings than that.
4. Asks for Personal or Sensitive Information
If you happen to be lured in, know that these illegitimate sites will try to obtain personal information or money from you. This red flag may not be apparent when signing up, but rather after you have already started taking surveys. No genuine online paid survey site would ever need personal or financial information, such as your:
- Bank account information
- Driver’s license number
- Social Security number
If any online paid survey websites — or the actual surveys being offered — ask for sensitive information, do not disclose this information. Instead, exit the site and move on.
However, legitimate survey sites may ask for your age, gender, geographic location, race, education level, and more to get an idea if you fit into their target demographic. These questions are legitimate, and answering them won’t cause you any harm.
5. Requires Payment
Again, after luring you in with visions of big money, a scam website may ask that you provide payment to join the site or access surveys. Asking for money from a survey taker is not something a legitimate paid survey site would ever do.
Be Mindful of Deceptive and Illegitimate Paid Survey Sites
After reading this article, you should know what a fraudulent paid survey website is, how it can impact you, and how to spot one by noticing any red flags. When in doubt, check out the paid survey site’s review rating. If the rating is under 4 stars or nonexistent, you might want to consider looking elsewhere.
