If you look on the Internet, you will find numerous sites that offer ways to make extra money. If you sign up for the right one and follow their program, you will surely have all the money you’ll ever need by next month. I’m going to tell you something you already know. “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”
Something that caught my attention was the opportunity to earn extra money by completing paid surveys. All you have to do is become a member of the web site, and you will be able to choose from long lists of surveys. For each survey you complete, you will either earn actual cash or points that convert to cash. Easy, right? I joined and now I want to share what I learned with you.
Finding An Actual Paid Survey
The first site I joined claimed to have the best online paid surveys available. And they put $5 in my account just for joining. There was a long list of other survey sights to sign up for as well. And if I signed up for all of them, I could get even more money in my account. But they needed to know where to send the payment.
I want to stop right here and caution you about putting any personal banking information on any web site like this. Ever. Honestly, you have no idea where it will really go. I have a Pay Pal account, so I continued.
Purchase Requirements
Off to one side of the site were two premium surveys I could take that were higher paid surveys than the others. I decided to get the ball rolling by taking those. Rolling my cursor over one, I discovered I would be required to apply for a credit card, use it for a purchase and then answer questions about my experience. And it didn’t mention anything about how much it paid. I didn’t want to apply for a credit card, so I passed.
To take the second premium survey, I would be required to go to an online auction site, win an auction by being the highest bidder and answer questions about the experience. Again, there was no mention of how much it paid, but I’m betting not as much as it would have cost me to place a winning bid.
Getting the Run Around
I decided to just take the regular surveys. In order to best match me with a survey that was suitable, there were questions to answer; gender, age range, ethnicity, household income, number of people living in your home, age of home, rent or buy, etc., etc. After I had answered many questions, there was a pop-up screen that said they didn’t have any surveys for me just yet, but I could keep answering questions while they found something suitable. I chose to continue, and guess what? The same questions started all over again.
I repeated the same cycle several times and then gave up. It was obvious I had chosen the wrong place to find legitimate paid surveys. I searched Google for paid surveys to find out how to really get in the game.
I found a site that guaranteed a monthly payment for taking surveys. That’s what I needed, a guarantee. After joining, I learned that my membership qualified me to purchase a list of the best paid surveys sites. I moved on.
I visited several other web sites, each one claiming to have the best paid surveys. I answered many similar questions and got various versions of the same results. I spent a couple of days on one paid surveys scam after another and never made a dime. And now there is a lot more personal information about me floating around in the World Wide Web.
The Facts About Online Surveys
Most companies gather marketing information from their sales records. There are very few legitimate surveys. Web sites claiming to offer paid surveys have a different agenda. Most of these sites are owned and operated by one group. They are gathering information about you from the questions you answer to qualify for the right survey.
That information about you is sold to other marketing companies. What you get out of the deal is a lot more email (spam), a lot more junk mail and probably a lot more telephone sales calls.
And those premium surveys that were offered? Those were actually paid advertisements purchased by the credit card company and the auction web site. They were simply disguised a another survey opportunity.
Work Smart
If you are persistent, you will likely find a a few legitimate paid surveys here and there, and actually earn a little money. But please consider what it will cost you. You will have spent a great deal of time for very little money. Your personal information will be in the hands of more data collection companies, and you will have helped a company that is supposed to be paying you make a large profit.
There are many, many better ways to make extra money. And there are good ways to make money online. But it will take time and you will have to work for what you get. Success won’t come instantly. Be wary of anything that offers something that sounds impossibly easy. And never pay a fee to get lists or other information.