Survey Scams: The Risks of Quick and Easy Money Online

A short online survey that pays a few dollars is something you can do over tea break or lunch hour without breaking a sweat. Online marketing surveys pay $1-3 on average.

So why could it be risky?

Some surveys are set up as deliberate scams to draw you in with promises of gifts and cash. Surveys scams happen when fake marketing companies try to push on you other products than initially disclosed. The scammer’s goal is to get your financial details then target you with other scams like subscription fraud using those same details.

There are two basic types of survey scams:

• Surveys that pitch other products than the initial one disclosed to you, then persuade you to get them on a limited offer period.
• Those that require you to pay first while promising you a gift or prize for completing the survey.

Any of these scams can lead to the loss of vital personal data or money.

Signs of a Survey Scam

Here’s how you can identify a survey scam:

• Requiring you to pay a shipping fee to get the gift or prize that you won upon completing the survey.
• Pitching you other products than what was initially disclosed at the start.
• Surveys that offer expensive gifts like iPads and cruise tickets for completing their questionnaires.

How are Survey Scams Initiated?

Survey scams are presented to you in various shapes and forms but the most common will look like this:

• Most recently, through emails and text messages impersonating Moderna /Astra Zeneca/Pfizer communications, seeking feedback on COVID-19 shots. Commonly, fake survey messages appear to originate from popular retail chains, banks, streaming services and more.
• Upon completion of the survey, you are asked to enter your zip code and email for a chance to win some gift or cash prize.
• After entering those details, you are asked to enter your credit card details to pay for shipping costs for your prize.
• Offers to enter sweepstakes are also common.
   

Note that the goal of all these is to get you to give your credit card information, email or real name. Once the scammers have this, they can rip you off much worse.

How to Protect Yourself from Survey Scams

1. Never use your personal or work email for online surveys even if they pay. Information vital to your identification and financial matters must never be shared online indiscriminately.
2. Do not click on survey links sent by others. Fake surveys often demand that the link be shared with 5-20 people to claim the non-existent prize.
3. Don’t go through with surveys that need you to sign up for other products. It is simply a survey.
4. Check the rating of the survey company on the Better Business Bureau – BBB. This could give you a measure of its legitimacy.
5. Check the name and title of the contact person running the survey, if it’s given. Also, Google the company to know the employees and reviews about it on the internet.
6. Never pay to join a survey even when they promise great prizes or cash.
7. Check if the survey company has an affiliation with the Council of American   Survey Research Organizations – CASRO.
8. Check for a privacy policy being in place before you give your details to a reputable survey company. That way you have legal protection. Avoid surveys without such a policy.