The work-from-home industry is exploding, and with that comes some incredible opportunities to earn income online. Unfortunately, however, there are also scam artists who prey on unsuspecting victims just like yourself. In this article, we’ll talk about some of the most prevalent make-money scams currently running rampant online. Plus, we’re going to tell you how you can make legit cash and do surveys for money.
Pyramid Schemes
Pyramid schemes have been around for decades. These types of scams rely on recruiting an ever-growing downline list of marketers for your financial benefit. These scammers never produce an actual product, and all of the money you pay them ends up in their pockets. They will tell you that if you just stick with them long enough, you’ll be rich one day. But what they don’t tell you is that the only ones getting rich are the founders!
Work-from-Home Jobs on Craigslist
Scammers love to post ads on Craigslist offering work-at-home opportunities for individuals who are willing to do a little typing or data entry from home. Typically, all you have to do is provide your personal banking information, and voila! You now have an online job. Beware, because not only will you be out of a job, this is a classic way to have your identity stolen.
Fake Check Scams
You get an email in your inbox offering you a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to make thousands of dollars by simply cashing a check they are sending out to you. All they ask is that you withdraw the money they are sending you via wire transfer and send a small portion back to them for their “taxes” or “shipping costs.” A few days later, your bank notifies you that you are overdrawn. That’s because the check was fake all along.
Work at Home Typing Jobs
This scam goes by a few different names. You may be offered a data-entry job, a typing job, or a position as a transcriptionist. No matter what role is advertised, you just need to pay a small registration fee before gaining entrance to the work platform and checking out the job any further. But there is no job. This scam is just a way to make a buck off a bunch of registration fees. To make matters worse, now the scammer also has some of your personal and banking information.
Are There Any Legitimate Ways To Make Money Online?
Millions of people make money online every day, so it’s not all fraudulent gigs and dishonest pitches. In fact, there are many proven ways to make extra cash, including,
Freelancing
If you have a talent for writing, designing websites, or creating logos and artwork, you can sell your services online as a freelancer. Sites like Upwork and Guru can help you get started.
E-Commerce
E-commerce is the way of the future. Nearly everyone does at least some of their shopping online. If you have an idea for a product that you think might do well, consider starting an e-commerce site of your own.
Affiliate Marketing
If you don’t have a product of your own, you can also become an affiliate of just about any product you can think of. For example, consider some of the products you love and use every day. Affiliate marketing works by promoting these products to your followers or online audience for a commission.
Etsy
Etsy is a site where people sell crafts, artwork, and other handmade items. Many creative types have had enormous success with Etsy, and it’s a great way to turn your passion into an income.
Designing T-Shirts
You can actually make a bit of money designing T-shirts and then selling them online. You’ll want to do a lot of research ahead of time, as different companies have different pay structures, and some will be more or less lucrative.
What About Paid Online Surveys? Are They Legit?
Earning money by taking paid online surveys is discussed a lot online. It’s an enticing idea because it requires very little skill or effort to answer simple questionnaires about your preferences or shopping habits. But even the online survey industry has been infiltrated by scammers. So is this even a legit way to make cash anymore?
Thankfully, the answer is yes. Although they are few and far between these days, legit survey sites are still out there, and they need participants just like you. So as long as you know what to look for when choosing a reputable survey site, you can still make money online taking paid surveys.
Next, we’ll take a look at one of the most trusted survey sites online—Branded Surveys.
When searching for a legit survey site that pays, there are some particular things to look out for, and Branded Surveys checks off all those boxes. So let’s break these factors down one by one.
Legit Survey Sites Are Owned by Actual, Established, Companies.
There are many fly-by-night survey companies out there that are new to the scene. It can be hard to find their contact information, where they are based, or how long they have been in business. In fact, it’s hard to find out anything at all about some survey sites. This should be a red flag.
Branded Surveys is a legit survey site that partners with well-known companies and market research firms to pay real people just like you for their opinions. Then, your feedback is used to create new products, improve on existing ones, or design effective marketing campaigns. Branded Surveys is owned by Branded Research, a California-based company founded in 2012. So right away, you have a little background information upfront.
Reputable Survey Companies Don’t Make Exaggerated Claims on Earnings.
You’ve probably seen more than a few ads for survey sites that promise earnings that are too good to be true. They go something like this: “Sign up Today and Make $25, $50, $100 or More for Every Survey You Complete!” We all want to believe that something like this is possible. But, realistically, these kinds of earnings are just not sustainable for any company. You want to work with a company that is honest and up-front about the amount of money you can make from paid surveys.
Members of Branded Surveys earn points for each survey they take. Then, they can then convert those points to cash or gift cards. Branded is clear in its marketing that each survey pays an average of $.50 to $3.00. So, will you get rich as a member of Branded Surveys? Probably not. However, you can earn some spare cash to buy an item you’ve had your eye on, set aside some money for savings, or maybe even have a nice dinner out. In addition, you can earn PayPal for taking surveys or choose from dozens of gift cards from major retailers all over the country.
Real Survey Sites Have Real Member Reviews.
If you have been searching for the best survey site online, you’ll notice that it’s hard to find consumer reviews for them. And even when you do, it is often undeniable that you’re looking at fake reviews. If you want to take legit online surveys for money, you’ll want to see some real reviews from other members.
Branded Surveys members are a pretty happy bunch. In fact, you can find over 42,000 honest reviews from real users on Trustpilot (an independent consumer review site with millions of monthly visitors). Additionally, Branded Surveys has earned 4.2 stars and a rating of excellent. That’s no easy feat. It would be pretty hard to find those types of reviews for any website, let alone a survey site.
Legit Survey Platforms Will Never Charge a Membership Fee.
This is a big one. To give the illusion that they are exclusive or elite, many sites will ask users to fork over a membership fee to gain admission. In most cases, it’s only a small fee—a dollar or two—so it seems relatively harmless. The company will claim they must charge their members a small price to avoid fraudulent signups or some similar lie.
The problem with membership fees is not so much that you’re out a buck or two, but that you probably used your credit card or debit card information to pay. And guess what? Now the scam site has your personal and payment information that they can resell or use for identity theft.
Branded Surveys never, ever charges a fee to join. That’s just not how it works. Additionally, they aim to protect your data through the regular maintenance and standard security measures individuals have come to expect from legitimate websites. If you are not comfortable sharing certain information, you don’t have to. The choice is always up to you.
Closing Thoughts
There are a ton of scams when it comes to making money online. We’ve covered several of them here. Unfortunately, we’ve also shown that even survey sites can be fraudulent. Therefore, it’s essential to do your research before signing up with the best survey site to make money.
Branded Surveys Is Unique Because:
- They have years of experience and are owned by a legal entity in the US.
- They don’t make false claims about your potential earnings.
- They have more than 42,000 reviews and a rating of excellent on Trustpilot.
- They have never (and never will) charged members a fee to join.
