Paid surveys are not new.
Marketing firms use paid surveys to test new advertisements, collect quantitative information about the participant's personal and economic habits.
Those firms pay for the consumers to participate in surveys.
Paid surveys exist because companies need a better understanding of their customers and the customers' view of products, in order to remain competitive in their given markets.
Because the corporate marketing companies need to understand consumer perceptions in-depth, they will offer incentives to survey participants.
There are two common types of paid survey scams.
The first method involves an incentive being offered and then never delivered.
The company or person running the survey is able to sell the information which is obtained to marketing firms and then closes the website prior to paying the participants.
The second most common method of the paid survey scam requires participants to pay in order to access an online listing of paid survey offers.
The reason this can sometimes be classified as a scam is because the list of paid survey offers presented to those who have paid the membership fee are out of date, or inaccurate.
A common way to identify a potential survey scam is by evaluating the demographic requirements.
Legitimate surveys are targeted to specific demographics and will often require the participant to complete a presurvey in order to ensure that they fall into the required demographic.
Beware of the paid survey company that asks you to purchase products or services or to pay for shipping of merchandise in order to be paid for completing surveys.
Beware of the paid survey company that asks for precise information about you, such as your exact birthday and mailing address.
This information and your credit card number can leave you open for identity theft.
Survey companies do not need this information.
Beware of the paid survey company that asks you to purchase products or services or to pay for shipping of merchandise in order to be paid for completing surveys.