It can be very disheartening to be tricked into a financial scam online when all you wanted to do was make a few bucks legitimately online.
Well, fraudsters do not care if that was all the money you had on earth, and so should you in trying to protect yourself online when participating in surveys.
How to avoid scams online on online survey platforms is now a must so you don’t lose money and time in trying to chase a few bucks online.
In this article, we will teach you how to identify survey scam tricks and how to defend yourself so you don’t fall victim to an online survey cam.
1. Research the Survey Company
The first thing to do to avoid scams on online survey platforms is to thoroughly research the survey company.
Look out for important information such as a verifiable physical address and just a PO box.
Ensure they have a professionally looking and matching website and social media account that is always available
2. Look out for Reviews and Ratings
One of the hallmarks of a trusted and reliable online survey platform that is not susceptible to fraud is a legit review and testimonials from users.
Why did we say legit reviews and testimonials?
In today’s world, people can be so dubious to put out fake reviews using bots in a few minutes.
They can result in bogus statements such as “I made $1,000 on this online survey in a few hours after signing up” and “This online survey platform changed my life for good.”.
Always cross the “T’s.” and dot the “I’s” in their statements, and you will find out they are only trying to play a smart one on you.
To verify if their claims are true, you can visit popular forums such as Reddit or Trustpilot for independent reviews.
3. Be Cautious of Obvious Red Flags
Is the survey platform promising you a pay for doing nothing? That is a red flag right there, and you don’t need a soothsayer to know there’s no free money even in Freetown.
Are you being promised an unbelievable reward for a simple task? And your gut is telling you your input can’t be worth this reward? Well, trust your gut one last time.
If there are inconsistencies in grammatical spelling, choice, and use of words, I am sure you don’t need a soothsayer to tell you the platform was hurriedly done.
Online survey platforms, just like every other legitimate company, communicate professionally using the right words; they will not promise you a bogus fee for a little job, and neither will they pay you for doing nothing.
Lastly, is the online survey platform asking you to pay a fee to participate in a survey? Whatever their claims might be, do not pay a dime to participate in an online survey, or you might painfully realise your payment was the survey.
4. Protect your personally Identifiable Information
As a general rule, always protect yourself on the internet.
Any information that can be used to identify you online or not should be well guarded.
If a survey platform is asking you for sensitive information such as a social security number, credit card information, BVN, password, wallet address, or routing number, know that you are on the wrong platform and you should never visit again.
An online survey platform should not ask for more information than necessary; as a matter of fact, you should not be willing to submit any other information than a phone number or email address.
If the platform needs you to log in using a password, make sure you create a different password to access the site.
Lastly, ensure the platform is using a secured connection such as “HTTPS.”
If the platform is using “HTTP,” you are advised to abandon it until the connection is secure.
5. Do not Use An Official Email
One of the ways some companies make money off the book is by selling your information to others.
If you are unlucky and you used your official email to sign up to these platforms, you could be a victim of a phishing attack or malware.
To avoid this and keep yourself protected, avoid using official or personal emails when signing up to survey platforms.
They can also choose to spam you with unsolicited emails that could look legit; always double-check any emails from these platforms
6. Confirm the Payment Process
It will be saddening to have spent your time completing a long survey, only to find out the payment is a sham.
Some platforms might promise to send gift cards, and they never will; others might fraudulently ask you to submit your bank account for a direct bank transfer or a physical address for a wire check.
Be careful of these platforms; they are likely scams, and you should not allow yourself to fall victim.
7. Avoid Online Survey Platforms with Excessive pop-up Ads
One of the legal yet not ethical ways some online survey platforms make money online is by excessively popping up ads from nonethical advertisers.
Clicking on these ads puts money in their pocket while you gain no value.
Click here to learn about the top 10 credible online survey platforms.