It is therefore good to get it right from the start without wasting your valuable time or resources along the way.
There is a lot of information online on how you can spot a scam survey site, and many such sites have now evolved into smarter con artists. There are also many legit survey sites but the returns you get from such sites might never be worth your time and input.
In this article am going to discuss on how you can avoid falling a victim of smart online survey site scams which;although legal and genuine, might cost you your time and resources.
How to avoid falling for online survey site scams.
Before joining any survey site there are a few points you should consider, some of which are tale tale signs of scams.
These are:
1. Never pay to join a survey site or to get more surveys.
Many online earning sites usually require membership fee. For some, this is to show your seriousness and commitment. But in case you see a survey or research site that demands membership fee, run. Remember they usually have very high promises in case you join.
Since many people are now aware that you should never pay to sign up for online surveys, some are now coming up with clever means of going round this hurdle. They have a structured membership plan like that of most freelance sites, where after signing up for free will give you an option of paying a small fee to climb up the membership larder and hence get more high paying surveys. Do not fall for this.
1. Never pay to join a survey site or to get more surveys.
Many online earning sites usually require membership fee. For some, this is to show your seriousness and commitment. But in case you see a survey or research site that demands membership fee, run. Remember they usually have very high promises in case you join.
Since many people are now aware that you should never pay to sign up for online surveys, some are now coming up with clever means of going round this hurdle. They have a structured membership plan like that of most freelance sites, where after signing up for free will give you an option of paying a small fee to climb up the membership larder and hence get more high paying surveys. Do not fall for this.
Also Read: Mobrog Survey Review
2. Check on the payment options.
There are various ways survey sites reward their panelists. These include cash rewards, gift and shopping vouchers, G-codes, or an opportunity to participate in a weekly or monthly draw.
If you just want to give your opinions for market research purpose, then any reward will be OK with you. But if you are looking for a way to earn some extra cash then you will need to go for a site that pays cash.
Make shure you also check on their withdrawal options e.g if they accept PayPal, skrill etc.
It is also good mentioning here that most international survey sites have varying reward options depending on countries. For instance, recently I reviewed an international site which accepts PayPal cash or G-codes, but was shocked to discover that in my country they don't have the cash withdrawals. What is even more shocking is that there's no way I would have known this before signing up. I therefore advice you to go to rewards section of a survey site once you sign up and check the withdraw options available in your country. If you don't see direct cash outs, kindly deregister.
3.Be cautious of survey sites with penalties.
Imagine you sign up for a survey site, and after filling all the demographic details you begin to get paid surveys. You fill them and are extremely exited to see your account growing and even start referring your friends and family. You feel that finally after months of searching you've hit the right site, which can pay for your fuel, electricity or water bills.
Then, as you are almost to your first cash out the surveys stop coming. You check your mail daily or even log in and don't see any new survey invitation. You become a little skeptical and decide to email them and you're told that the site has got no new surveys and told to exercise patience, and that in case there will be any new survey that fits your profile you will be the first to get the link.
Days turn into weeks, and weeks to months. One day you decide to just log in and you are totally shocked to see not only your hard earned survey money have disappeared, but instead you see a negative figure, meaning you are the one now supposed to pay them.
Out of frustration and anger you contact them and you are informed that if your account remains inactive for some time you are given a weekly or monthly penalty.
You now get even angrier, since they also know too well that it was them who never sent the survey but they also calm you down and inform you that they will reset your account.
Finally you feel relieved, but your account is now back to where you started from. If they keep on doing this for all their members, will they ever spent a dime?
To avoid this, kindly read the various reviews available online about such sites and never take any such comments lightly. Imagine if they did so for one person that could have also been you.
4.Check the survey site's minimum cash out.
Many survey sites pay between USD.0.3-5 per survey. If you are lucky you can get an average of 1 survey per month. This can be extremely low for developing countries.
You can therefore see how soon you will get your first cheque will be highly dependent on the cash out limit.
Any survey expert will always give you this golden rule:" The lower the cash out limit the better." I will also tell you the same, but even go further and tell you," if you are in developing countries, never accept a survey site with a cash out limit of more than USD.10" it might take you eternity to ever get paid.
5. Finally always do a thorough background check on the site including testimonials, owners and countries they are operating in. More specifically, check on their "about" page and read through their terms.
Conclusion
Earning money through online surveys is hard by itself and will be even worst if you realize you will never get any cash out yet you have dedicated most of your resources and time.
It is no longer an issue of just stating if a survey site is legit or not, but if you will ever get paid.
Therefore stay wise and don't be in a rush to get rich with online surveys.
2. Check on the payment options.
There are various ways survey sites reward their panelists. These include cash rewards, gift and shopping vouchers, G-codes, or an opportunity to participate in a weekly or monthly draw.
If you just want to give your opinions for market research purpose, then any reward will be OK with you. But if you are looking for a way to earn some extra cash then you will need to go for a site that pays cash.
Make shure you also check on their withdrawal options e.g if they accept PayPal, skrill etc.
It is also good mentioning here that most international survey sites have varying reward options depending on countries. For instance, recently I reviewed an international site which accepts PayPal cash or G-codes, but was shocked to discover that in my country they don't have the cash withdrawals. What is even more shocking is that there's no way I would have known this before signing up. I therefore advice you to go to rewards section of a survey site once you sign up and check the withdraw options available in your country. If you don't see direct cash outs, kindly deregister.
3.Be cautious of survey sites with penalties.
Imagine you sign up for a survey site, and after filling all the demographic details you begin to get paid surveys. You fill them and are extremely exited to see your account growing and even start referring your friends and family. You feel that finally after months of searching you've hit the right site, which can pay for your fuel, electricity or water bills.
Then, as you are almost to your first cash out the surveys stop coming. You check your mail daily or even log in and don't see any new survey invitation. You become a little skeptical and decide to email them and you're told that the site has got no new surveys and told to exercise patience, and that in case there will be any new survey that fits your profile you will be the first to get the link.
Days turn into weeks, and weeks to months. One day you decide to just log in and you are totally shocked to see not only your hard earned survey money have disappeared, but instead you see a negative figure, meaning you are the one now supposed to pay them.
Out of frustration and anger you contact them and you are informed that if your account remains inactive for some time you are given a weekly or monthly penalty.
You now get even angrier, since they also know too well that it was them who never sent the survey but they also calm you down and inform you that they will reset your account.
Finally you feel relieved, but your account is now back to where you started from. If they keep on doing this for all their members, will they ever spent a dime?
To avoid this, kindly read the various reviews available online about such sites and never take any such comments lightly. Imagine if they did so for one person that could have also been you.
4.Check the survey site's minimum cash out.
Many survey sites pay between USD.0.3-5 per survey. If you are lucky you can get an average of 1 survey per month. This can be extremely low for developing countries.
You can therefore see how soon you will get your first cheque will be highly dependent on the cash out limit.
Any survey expert will always give you this golden rule:" The lower the cash out limit the better." I will also tell you the same, but even go further and tell you," if you are in developing countries, never accept a survey site with a cash out limit of more than USD.10" it might take you eternity to ever get paid.
5. Finally always do a thorough background check on the site including testimonials, owners and countries they are operating in. More specifically, check on their "about" page and read through their terms.
Conclusion
Earning money through online surveys is hard by itself and will be even worst if you realize you will never get any cash out yet you have dedicated most of your resources and time.
It is no longer an issue of just stating if a survey site is legit or not, but if you will ever get paid.
Therefore stay wise and don't be in a rush to get rich with online surveys.
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