Make $7 By Taking a Survey

By
Holly Doering
– December 15, 2011Posted in: Alerts/Scams, National

check boxes large 150x150 Make $7 By Taking a SurveyMy husband presented me with two of the crispest $1 bills I’ve ever seen and told me if we took this survey, we could get $5 more. I’m afraid “Yeah, right,” is my ingrained automatic response. But, it’s true.

The survey is from:

ARBITRON RATINGS MEDIA STUDY
PO BOX 91207
ALLENTOWN PA 18109-9988

You probably won’t get one of these surveys unless you live in a major media market like Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, or, dare I say it, Spokane. It asks some questions about your media habits.

According to Wikipedia, Arbitron has been around since 1949. Back then it was called The American Research Bureau. In about eight weeks, you should get $5 in the mail.

 We know there are a lot of survey scams out there, however. I went to Survey Police to compile tips on what to watch out for:

Who is Running the Survey?
As we like to say around our BBB office, companies who have nothing to hide, hide nothing. Many survey scam websites do not provide any information at all regarding their business. A legitimate market research business should willingly disclose information about who they are, where they are, their company history, and particular survey information.

Is There a Privacy Policy?
Legitimate online survey panels should list the ways they use your information and will display this in the form of a privacy policy. Any website missing this important information should be avoided.

Do They Make Crazy Promises?
If a website promises that you can earn a living taking online surveys, it is most likely fraudulent. Reasonable compensation for surveys is usually awarded to panelists, but taking surveys is not a huge money-making option. Websites promising otherwise should be thoroughly investigated.

Survey Police says, “If there is any question in your mind that a website you visit is not that of an online survey company, but is instead an online survey scam – don’t fill in the registration! Once you hit ‘submit’ on a form, you are agreeing to having your information used in ways that you might not agree with.”

And speaking of that, I was purchasing a Christmas present online yesterday when an offer of $10 off popped up. All I had to do was to apply for a company credit card, no annual fee. I was reading through all the fine print, when I came to this paragraph:

I consent to [the bank] and any other owner or servicer of my account contacting me about my account, including using any contact information or cell phone numbers I provide, and I consent to the use of any automatic telephone dialing system and/or an artificial or prerecorded voice when contacting me, even if I am charged for the call under my phone plan.

I didn’t want my information used in that way, so I cancelled out of the card.

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About Holly Doering

Holly Doering has worked for the Better Business Bureau Serving Eastern Washington, North Idaho, and Montana for half a decade. Her areas of expertise include the CORE Values Program (Character, Optimism, Respect, Ethics) for Teens and Charity Review as well as writing and editing. Prior to that, she has written for two newspapers, a local magazine, and taught English at the community college. She is the proud author of a short story in ZYZZYVA literary magazine and has had good luck publishing lots of poetry. Each year she rolls up her sleeves and wades into the autumn Nanowrimo writing madness and has several unfinished novels to her credit.