Are Online Survey Jobs a Scam? What You Should Know

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When you think of a job, you imagine a nine-to-five desk job that steals away your youth. While this kind of job may work for some, a lot of people started looking for less stressful alternatives.

One of these options was taking online surveys. As they rose in popularity; people started calling them ‘jobs’. But, can you trust these so-called ‘jobs’?

Lucky for you, we’re going to go through this topic. We’ll answer a vital question along the way as well. So are online survey jobs a scam?

Can You Rely on Survey Jobs for a Steady Income?

While the idea of earning money filling out surveys, working from home seems tempting, it’s not always. Many people stop taking paid online surveys when they realize the amount of money they’ll earn won’t exceed $5.

But, the amount of money you’ll receive can spike up depending on the type of surveys you take. Some surveys that need you to review a product pay you up to $50 and if you are lucky enough, you might land a solid

Don’t get your hopes up too high, as these kinds of surveys are uncommon to find. To get one, you’ll have to go through a ton of ordinary, low paying surveys.

Phone inquiries are another survey type that offers $20 – $25 in exchange for 15 minutes of your time.

You’re required to enter your contact number when you sign up in an online survey panel. Once you fill in the form with the info, the website will ask you if you’d like to take part in phone surveys. 

Upon agreeing, market researchers will contact you about a certain product. You can choose to remain anonymous when taking these surveys as well.

In summary, taking part in online surveys will pay you between $10-$90 a month, excluding phone surveys. Of course, this amount of money is too little to help your personal finances. Instead, you can regard it as a side hustle that helps with bringing in some extra cash.

Bear in mind that not all online survey websites will reward you using money. Some sites pay you with gift cards, prizes, sweepstakes, or using a point system such as Swagbucks.

How Can You Differentiate Between Legit Survey Jobs and Scams?

Falling for a scam is something no one is ever proud of. Since the internet is full of dishonest schemes, here are a few red flags to look out for.

Membership Fees

If a site requires a membership fee to join their network of paid survey sites, they’re without a doubt, a scam. Legitimate websites provide membership subscriptions that are free of charge. They also don’t impose costs for taking in their surveys.  

Also, fraudster websites will try to lure you in by any means available. Don’t fall for their typical “our surveys are special’ trick”. They try to convince you to subscribe to their network despite the fact that their surveys aren’t anything special.

Canceling Subscriptions

Most websites give you a way to cancel your membership if you don’t like their services. But, the same doesn’t apply to con survey sites.

Like charging fees to earn membership, canceling your subscription seems rather impossible. It’s a common stratagem to keep drawing off money and wasting time for you. Luckily, there’s a way to prevent this from happening.

Upon visiting a certain survey website, check the FAQ page first. It should contain important details that should give you an overview of the website’s credibility.

Questionable Promises

Earning a 100 or more dollars for taking some online surveys that won’t take up much of your time sounds like an intriguing deal, right? Well, if you come across a deal such as this, turn a blind eye to it and walk away.

Online surveys don’t pay such copious amounts of money. It’s another trick -of the many ones up their sleeves- to catch your attention and persuade you to join in with their innumerable tactics.

Inexistent Feedback

One thing to keep an eye on when enrolling in an online survey job is the feedback. Legit survey websites seek feedback when looking for people to take part. Websites that advertise earning money online without specifying how are most likely scams.

Getting Enjoyment From Online Survey Jobs

Here are a few noteworthy tips:

Register in More than One Site

Want to collect as much money as you can in your spare time? Sticking to one survey site won’t help you with that.

Some sites notify you by email when survey opportunities are available, though they don’t exceed a few a month. Of course, this won’t be enough to gather a reasonable amount of money per month.

Having said that, make sure that the websites you’re going to enroll in are honest sites that don’t need fees or anything of that sort.

Look for Online Surveys that Compensate

Though rewards such as gifts and coupons aren’t bad, it’s better to do a google search for online survey panels that pay you cash money.

Several  trusted online survey websites that compensate with money are:

• Swagbucks
• Branded surveys
• Inbox Dollars
• Hiving
• Opinion Outpost

Check Your Email

As mentioned above, online survey companies alert you of accessible forums by email. Checking your emails would help you take notice of the available forums to fill.

In other words, you won’t miss a chance at earning a few bucks if you scan your inboxes.

Download the Apps

Some survey panels own a mobile app where you can take part in surveys for money rather than taking them on the panel’s site. Downloading the app could save you a decent amount of time as it would alert you when new surveys are at hand.

Are There Downsides to Taking an Online Survey Job?

Aside from the fluctuating amount of money you’ll earn every time you complete a survey, there aren’t that many downsides to taking online surveys.

You can consider boredom as one of the few cons of this job. Sitting in front of your computer screen answering questions can be discouraging. 

Additionally, several survey websites include residency requirements. Meaning, you have to be an inhabitant of a certain region or country to take part in their surveys. Popular online survey panels usually need participants to be a resident of the United States, the United Kingdom, or Australia.

So Are Online Survey Jobs A Scam?

Online survey jobs aren’t exactly real jobs that you can rely on as a source of living. Sure, they might aid with earning some extra cash, but not that much.

To give an answer to the question we asked earlier; no. Paid online survey jobs aren’t a scam, even though some of them might be.

Watch out for illegitimate schemes on the internet, they aren’t worthy of anyone’s attention. Other than that, if you like this kind of job, by all means, you should check it out.