Survival Guide to Online Surveys

I’ve gotten this email from Facebook 3 or 4 times a day for the last few days.

Most people know not to open an attachment in an email, but this phishing scam asks that you click on a link. And the graphics are done so well that Facebook users may mistake this email as being a legimate FB message. It even had facebook.com as its domain. Wow, these people are getting slick! I’m on my computer all day every day, so I knew better that to click on this link, but I have a friend who is relatively new to the Facebook process who fell for this scam.

In an article from SG Magazine (click here for the full article), you’ll find that the dangers are two-fold. When you click on the link, your passwords will be stolen. However, the more serious threat takes place when you are asked to download the “update tool”. Doing so will infect your computer or phone with the Zeus Trojan which will steal your bank account information. My friend ended up having to close her bank account and open a new one.

Beware! These criminals are getting better and better at making these phishing emails look legitimate.

Happy Halloween everybody! Here’s a scary video to get you in the spirit. Be sure the volume is turned up so you can really hear the end of it.

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Had an email this morning from Janet with the following question:

I am constantly getting survey invitations from Greenfield Online such as this today:

A New Survey Opportunity For You…

 Survey On:  Consumer topics  
 Reward: An entry in our current sweepstakes 
 Length: 25 Minutes (Approx.)
 Survey Number: 1086209-US-Aug-1

Is there any purpose at all to complete these surveys for a “sweepstakes entry” which is to say, no incentive at all?  25 minutes is a lot of precious time to devote with no reward, unless you consider an almost nil chance of a sweepstakes win a reward.  I don’t.

Do these surveys ever lead to a focus group or a product test?  If so, how often, in your experience?

Hope to hear from you or in your column.  Thank you!

Great question, Janet. And not the easiest one to answer. There was a discussion of this over on the forum a while back, so I’ll give you my personal experience and some of the views of our forum members.

For me, I don’t do sweepstakes entries as much as I should. I just don’t have the time. But I have been invited to an Invoke Interactive which paid $20 from a survey on Survey Spot which was “sweepstakes” only.  So if I had more time to devote in a given day, I would probably do more of them even though it irritates me beyond all reason to spend 30 minutes on a survey for nothing.

Tidy Clean, one of our forum members had this to say:

In my opinion it is worth to do Greenfield and SurveySpot surveys for sweepstakes. So far this year I did (10) Invokes. From Greenfield (6) Invokes - Lightspeed (1) Invoke - Opinion Place (2) Invokes & Survey Spot (1) Invoke. Plus from Survey Spot I received (15) full sized Test Products so that definitely makes it worth to do all or any surveys from them.

Damo36 also completed an Invoke Interactive which paid $30:

I got my invitation via Greenfield. The survey was originally a 90 minute sweepstakes survey and i had the feeling it was for an Invoke interactive survey. I’m glad i didn’t delete the survey which i usually do for sweepstakes entries. I advise anyone on here to do the same…

Click on the link here to read the entire thread about Invoke Solutions.

Let us know if you have gotten an Invoke survey from a sweepstakes survey and where it came from!

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So many people have asked about a list of survey sites that pay by Paypal recently that I thought I should update the list.  I was hoping to be able to add Survey Spot to the list, but as of now it is still a promise, not a reality with them. If you’ve been paid by Paypal through Survey Spot let us know.

1. Lightspeed
2. Greenfield
3. Esearch
4. PSB
5. Brand institute
6. Pinecone
7. Epoll
8. Mindfield
9. MyView
10. Netverdix
11. Surveyhead
12. Daily survey panel
13. Opinion Place
14. Yourfreesurveys
15. Test spin
16. Elite Opinion

Let us know if you can think of any other survey sites that pay by Paypal and I’ll add it to the list.

Here’s a video that will make you want to dance!

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It has come to my attention today that several people may have received checks from Yourfreesurveys. Although it is not yet confirmed, I thought it important to warn any of you out there who may have received a check with our name on it, now or in the future, that this is most certainly not from Yourfreesurveys. We do not, nor have we ever sent out a check to anyone. We pay only by Paypal.

Please let us know if you receive such a check. If  possible, scan the check and email it to us, so that we can try to find out who may be using our name fraudulently.

It is very important that you verify the validity of checks received in the mail. Scammers are becoming more ingenuous by the day, and will use the names of reputable companies in order to perpetuate their fraud. It’s always better to be safe than sorry, so taking a few extra minutes to send an email to verify it is always in your best interest.

In the case of checks stating they are from Yourfreesurveys, you can be quite sure that they are not real or sent by us. Please report any suspicious checks to me through our customer service email located at http://www.yourfreesurveys.com/ !

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In the last couple of days I have received 25 emails about this Secret/Shopper position. It comes from US_Surveys:

Our company(US Surveys) is glad to let you know that we now have a vacancy for the Secret/Shopper Position.
This is a part time position as it requires no longer then 30 minutes to an hour to complete an evaluation.

For each assignment you carry out you will receive a commission of $100. Most of the time a shopper gets assignments on daily basis.
The requirements for this position is to be no younger then 21 years old and to own a Citibank account.

Regarding the account, it is recommended to apply for a new one that you will use for this position only.
If you need more information about applying for this position you can reply to wlmailhtml:{F0D4FC98-2483-467C-92E5-EE6505697598}mid://00000638/!x-usc:mailto:sammya7ukalua@gmail.com

Thank you,
US_Surveys Inc.

What a scam! How do I know? All of those big fat red flags flying around!

1. It is from a gmail account. Reputable businesses have their own domain email address.

2. The address of the sender was my own email address. That only happens when you don’t want anyone to trace the source.

3. It says you must have or open a Citibank account.  What legitimate company asks you to do that? Could it be that you will be giving them your banking information? Legitimate companies pay by check or Paypal.

4. You will make $100 every day for 30 minutes of work. Did I tell you that George Clooney is taking me out for dinner and a movie tomorrow night?

This is an out and out scam. Do NOT respond to the email.

I’m sure that most of you are thinking that you already had this figured out. But if you are new to all of this survey business, you don’t know a scam from a legitimate opportunity. One of the most read posts on the blog is the one I wrote about the Mystery Shopper Mail Scam (Click here). I’ve d 42 comments and hundreds of emails from people who had gotten the fraudulent check in the mail and googled to get information before cashing it. So many people would have had money stolen from them had the scam post not been available.

So here’s hoping that someone will Google US_Surveys and find this post before they apply for the Secret/Shopper Position.

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Not sure what happened with the email subscription service (Feedburner) this morning. For some unknown reason, they sent out one of my blog posts from April. I thought I was in the Twilight Zone when I got a Survival Guide email and I hadn’t written a post for the day yet. Oh well, stuff happens. Please ignore the repeat and I apologize for the confusion.

I also have good news on the DailySurvey issue. The daily surveys are up and running at Yourfreesurveys again. So I thought it might be time to revisit the issue of playing by the rules.  Survey sites are becoming more and more savvy about people who try to beat the system. New and improved tracking systems for offenders are popping up everyday. And who can blame them! For all of the moaning and groaning that I do about various survey sites, it’s not fair to the company that pays you for doing surveys to be cheated by unscrupulous people trying to beat the system. In the end, the companies sponsoring the research lose, because they end up with faulty data. Survey site owners, in turn, end up losing money which can be reflected in the amount of money paid to you and me.

It is difficult when you are first getting started to know what the rules are. Some newbies make innocent mistakes because the rules aren’t particularly clear. Above all else, READ the terms of service and rules for each of the survey or gpt sites that you join.

Here is a list of infractions that will result in your account being banned and loss of all of your earnings:

1) Not being truthful with your sign up information.

2) Creating multiple accounts.

3) Taking more than one “daily survey” from a particular source in a 24 hour period.

4) Completing the same “offer” at multiple gpt or survey sites.

5) Some gpt and survey sites will ban you for logging into your account from a friend’s computer or using a public computer or proxy server.

6) Rushing through the process of answering a survey. If a survey takes an average of 30 minutes and you finish in 5 minutes, this could be considered fraud.

The vast majority of online paid survey respondents are hard-working, honest people who are trying to make a little extra money. They answer the questions honestly and thoughtfully and provide a very valuable contribution to market research for thousands of products and services. The few bad eggs ultimately hurt the rest of us.

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I get lots of email with questions about Paypal. I’ve written a couple of posts about the merits of using Paypal and some of the ways to protect yourself from scam artists who use the Paypal name to rip you off. Most of the questions I receive, however how to do with the basics, so I will address those issues in this post.

How do I withdraw funds from Paypal?

You can withdraw funds via check or electronic transfer to your bank account. Please note that to withdraw funds, you must confirm your primary email address.

Checks: Check withdrawal process takes one to two weeks to complete A $1.50 processing fee for each check withdrawal
Electronic Transfer: Withdrawal by electronic transfer to bank account takes 3 to 4 business days to complete
There is no charge by PayPal for an electronic transfer.

To withdraw funds from account: Click https://www.paypal.com/WDFUNDS or copy and paste the entire link into the address bar. Choose your withdraw options from the list and follow the directions

 How do I receive funds from a survey site that has a different email address for me that my Paypal account email?

I’m going to use Yourfreesurveys as an example here to answer this questions. But this applies to most survey sites who pay to our Paypal account. If payment if made automatically, your earnings will be sent to the email address that you used to register with that site. You can link (add) any email address that you choose to your Paypal account email so that whenever a payment is made to any of the addresses you list, your funds will go into your Paypal account.

To add an email address to your PayPal account:
Sign in to your PayPal account;
On the main menu, select My Account > Profile > Add or Edit Email;
Click the Add button;
Enter the email address you wish to add to your PayPal account (the email
address registered in Yourfreesurveys) and click Save;
PayPal will send a confirmation email to you. Click on the confirmation link
within the email;
Enter your PayPal password and click Confirm

Hope this helps to clear up some of the basic questions about Paypal. Please leave a comment or send me an email if you need any additional information!

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During times of economic stress, many of us are looking for opportunities to make extra money online. One of my good friends, who has been out of work for several months, called me a few days ago to tell me that she had  just started as a mystery shopper in our area. My first response was one of concern as I proceeded to lecture her on the pitfalls of the countless scams surrounding mystery shopping. I couldn’t help but pop off a long list of questions. Are you paying anything upfront? Did you get a check for $4134 in the mail? Are you spending your own money? If she hadn’t been talking to me on the phone, she may have slapped me up side the head.

 No, she assured me that she had done her research. Being the most organized of all of my friends, she calmly told me that she had found an organization that was legitimate and very highly regarded. Apparently, there is an association online called the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). From the website:

The MSPA is the largest professional trade association dedicated to improving service quality using anonymous resources. With over 150 member companies worldwide, our diverse membership includes marketing research and merchandising companies, private investigation firms, training organizations and companies that specialize in providing mystery shopping services. Our member companies work with their clients to establish mechanisms to measure and improve levels of service.

Mystery shopping is a valuable tool used by some of the largest retailers, restaurants and banks to understand and enhance the experience they provide to customers. However, it is not a quick and easy way to make a large sum of money and receive “freebies.” The MSPA has developed the following tips for those interested in becoming a mystery shopper:

• Prospective shoppers do not have to pay a fee to become a mystery shopper. Shoppers should be extremely wary of any mystery shopping offer that requests a fee.
• Visit the MSPA Web site (www.mysteryshop.org/shoppers) for a list of reputable mystery shopping companies and opportunities. Contact the companies directly, not the MSPA, for more information on how to become a shopper.
• Be patient. It takes time, sometimes months or even longer, to be contacted with an offer to conduct a shopping assignment.
• Be cautious of opportunities that offer large sums of money for simple tasks like cashing a check or wiring money. A typical mystery shopping evaluation will earn about $8 to $20. If an assignment sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

My friend has been very pleased with the process so far and has agreed to an interview about her experiences which I will post in the near future.

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Jan sent me a link to several work from home opportunities, asking that I check them out. I saw a few on the list that I knew from previous reviews that were, at best,  ”opportunities” which were misleading or cost you money for the “job”.  I decided, however, to go ahead and click on one of the links to see what I might find.

I opted for the first one on the list of “most popular” telecommunication jobs, West At Home.  Believe it or not, this appears to be a legitimate work from home endeavor. There are no start up fees or hidden costs. You’ll apply online for a job and if one is available in your area, you will begin working in a few weeks. From the website:

Q: What will I be doing as a West At Home employee?
A: Depending on the project, you may be obtaining, entering and verifying customer information, answering questions, resolving issues, explaining sales features or offering additional products or services, all while providing exceptional customer service.

Payment is based on per minute, per call or guaranteed minimum wage paid by direct deposit on a bi-weekly basis. West At Home employees can set their own hours and work from their home computers as long as they have a land line and DSL or cable connections.

I found tons of information with a google search, and as with most things, I didn’t find 100% positive comments. There are numerous forums with an honest debate and discussion of the pros and cons of this company. Click here for the discussion on the Work From Home Forum. Overall, the verdict is that this is a legitimate work from home opportunity!

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I’ve had quite a few requests to post a list of online paid survey sites that pay by Paypal. This won’t be a comprehensive list, but one with some of the better known sites.  Not everyone is a fan of Paypal, but in my experience, it makes for a MUCH quicker payout. And now for the list!

Yourfreesurveys

E-Poll

MyView

Testspin

Lightspeed

OpinionPlace

Dollar surveys

Esearch

Greenfield Online

I’m sure that I have left out someone’s favorite Paypal site, so please leave a comment and let us know what it is, and I’ll add it to the list!

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