EN
This article is from Trend Micro.
There are many apps out there that claim to pay users for playing sponsored games, trying products and signing up for various services. Generally, the “payment” will be made via gift cards (Amazon, eBay, Walmart, Visa etc.).
To use the service and receive payment, users will be required to provide a lot of personal information: full name, email address, home address, phone number, date of birth, and gender — essentially all the things that constitute your consumer profile.
One such example app is Flash Rewards. Apparently, you earn “coins” by playing sponsored games and can cash out via gift cards once you’ve earnt at least 5,000 (equivalent to $5). Being paid to sit at home and play games in your downtime is an enticing prospect for many. Likewise, many rightly wonder if it’s too good to be true — so we thought we’d investigate the matter.
Before we go any further, the simple advice is to stay away from such apps and to follow the adage that if it sounds too good to be true then it probably is.
Source: Flash Rewards
There are several reviews of and investigations into Flash Rewards. The first red flag is the amount of personal information you must enter: this immediately leads to an increase in spam as such apps make money from selling your data to third parties.
Another red flag is that multiple URLs lead to the same Flash Rewards website which, according to this investigator, is a reliable giveaway of scam websites. Thirdly, to receive payment you’ll first be asked to subscribe to various services. These subscriptions will generally be paid, meaning you’re being charge before even being paid!
Fourthly, and most damning, it appears that many users never receive any payment at all: either communication disappears or there are so many hoops to jump through that the user gives up — the only thing having been accomplished is the giveaway of their personal information!
It seems that some users do make money from such apps — but for the risk involved, and the requirement to sign up for paid subscriptions, it just isn’t worth it — the time or the effort. Our advice: Stay Away.
