Phony paid surveys are a common way for scammers to acquire personal information and steal people’s identities. Here’s how to spot them.
Many legitimate companies and organizations use paid surveys to conduct market research, get feedback on their products and services, or get a better understanding of their customers. But VERIFY viewer Carolyn wants to know if there is a way to spot the real paid surveys from the fakes.
“Are paid surveys a scam? I keep receiving emails regarding them and I am not sure if this is a valid way to earn extra income,” Carolyn recently asked VERIFY in a text.
Here are five VERIFIED ways to identify and avoid a paid survey scam.
THE SOURCES
WHAT WE FOUND
Paid survey scammers use phony surveys to phish for people’s personal information in an effort to steal their identities. They often lure people in by promising cash, gift cards or tech gadgets for their participation, but they are really trying to acquire people’s names, addresses or banking information, according to the Better Business Bureau (BBB) and Kaspersky.
“Even if it’s minuscule and just seems limited; maybe they’re asking little bits and pieces — but once…
