Survey scams are almost as old as the internet. Spend just an hour online, and there’s a good chance you’ll be running into an ad for a “super quick” survey promising big money or prizes for just a few minutes of your time.
What happens, though, is that the scammer walks away with a free survey or, worse, your information or money. The wary consumer can spot a survey scam easily, but unfortunately, fraudsters are becoming much more sophisticated at luring victims into their schemes.
Don’t fall for it! Here are eight ways to spot a survey scam:
There’s no reason to pay to take a survey. If you’re targeted by an ad asking you to take a survey and pay for the privilege of doing so, it’s not worth it – and probably designed to scam you.
The survey host wants you to think it’s no big deal to share your Social Security number with a company you’ve never heard of before. But guess what – you’re looking at potential identity theft. That IS a pretty big deal!
“Survey companies” that advertise on sites like Craigslist asking you to share your email address are usually fronts for scam rings. Once they have this information, they’ll spam you with scammy emails, phishing schemes, malware, or worse.
If a survey offers you $100 for a 20-question survey that shouldn’t take you more than five minutes to complete, you can be sure you’re looking at a scam. The pay for authentic survey-taking is generally on a much more modest scale.
Any time an unknown contact asks you to download attachments to your device, be super-suspicious. More often than not, these are scams, and the attachments contain malware.
If the same solicitation for survey participation keeps popping up on your screen, you may be in for a scam.
Often, a survey company will want you to answer a few pre-qualifying questions to see if you fit their desired demographic. Scammers exploit the prequalification by having you answer dozens of questions and informing you that you have run out of time and cannot participate in the survey. This limit is false, of course, and the questions you just answered were the survey questions; only now you won’t be getting paid for it. Check if a survey has a time limit on the prequalification before you start answering questions.
Scammers sometimes require their targets to take an outrageous number of surveys before they receive their first paycheck. Often, the victim will just quit before they qualify for a payment.
Survey-taking can be a great way to earn pocket money, but survey scams are rampant. Follow these 8 ways to spot a survey scam and protect your personal information! If you like this post, make sure to check out the MoneySmart Tips Blog for more great money tips.