How to Avoid Survey Spam

The internet will introduce you to an endless wealth of information.  It will enable you to expand yourself as entrepreneur by effectively communicating across the globe.  The internet will also expose you to plethora of security threats, viruses and money making scams.  One that you are sure to encounter is the kind found in survey spam. 

Participate in a survey to sellout your email 

There are many survey scams floating around the net, flooding email accounts and littering blogs.  Survey scammers are known for creating Myspace accounts and delivering their spam on other people's profile page.  They all carry a similar trait, claiming that you will be participating in paid surveys with the ability to make a substantial amount of money.  One method simply exists to acquire a user's email address.  In this instance, the scam artist will pose as a legitimate survey company in order to get a user to submit the information.  From there, they compose a list to sell to other marketers, or use the information to distribute spam of their own.  It is very unlikely that anyone would ever receive money from this type of survey. 

A free trial - only spam to your email is required

Another form of survey spam requires you to sign for a free trial service or pay a onetime fee.  Some even require you to purchase a product before being paid the quoted amount.  In either case, the messages are sent without the user's content, putting them at the risk of unknown danger. 

In actuality, all online survey companies do not seek feedback with malicious intent.  There has just been so much negativity created over the consistent spam and schemes.  There are actually a good number of official survey companies that pay real money for opinions.  They make use of this forum to get feedback regarding their products and services.  Figuring out whether a survey is or is not a scam can usually be determined on how contact was made.  If they sent you one or countless unsolicited emails, the source probably isn't trust worthy. 

Quick Tips to Avoid Survey Scans

1. Never act on a survey offer found in a spam email.

2. Never pay money to participate in a survey with the promise of being paid later.

3.  Run a thorough check on the company before signing up.  Look for reviews and opinions on the service from actual customers.

4.  Remain very cautious of service advertising a guaranteed income.  It is very rare that a legitimate business will place themselves in a compromising by making such a claim. 

5.  Never place too much trust in testimonials regarding the service.  Many paid survey scam companies get creative by hiring skilled writers to produce their content to make it appear more attractive.  

6.  Stay practical and realistic.  If sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

7.  Check for complaints on a specific company by visiting the Survey Police website.   www.surveypolice.com

We all like to share our opinion from time to time, but participating in surveys is something that should be done with caution.  You never know what's on the other side of that spam message or the survey itself.  At worst, you just may end up as another victim of identity theft.