How safe is online surveys?

I have been doing surveys for some time now and I have only had a problem with one company sending a lot of junk and not sending out many surveys. I do my homework before I sign up with a survey company. First I read the fine print, I check out their FAQ's, terms and conditions, their reputation and if they are sponsored by some of the marketing associations like the AMA, CASRO and other sites like the BBB online and TrustE. Trust me this will save you time and frustration later on. I NEVER pay a fee to join and make sure i know where to reach them if there is a problem. I don't always qualify but when I do they pay fairly well and have been paid by each one of the companies I am with currently. A few of the surveys have led to joining in a focus group with can pay from$75 to $250 for just a few hours, this has only happened about 3 times in the last couple years and I think part of that is that I live in a large city. I am only with one company that does not payout for surveys and completing them gets you entries into the sweepstakes for prizes and money. They are reputable and they do not send out a lot of surveys but when they do they are not extremely long and you get entries just for trying anyway so why not? From time to time some of the surveys are for evaluating product like laundry detergent or perhaps household cleaners, they send you the product, you evaluate it, they compensate you and you get to keep the product. The rest of the companies I am with are for monetary compensation or gift cards. As far as the personal information I am careful who I give it to and they really don't ask for much other than an earnings range, zip code etc. I do have to give out address to do the product evaluations but these are companies I have been with for a while and have earned my trust. I think the online surveys are safe if you make sure you are with a good company. I hope you can find what you are looking for. I can provide you with the names of the reputable ones if you add me as a friend and i will pm you with more info on names and referral links. Have a great day!!!!

My biggest problem with online survey sites is that I never seem to qualify! Haha. With the personal information... I don't know. They ask me how old I am and my zip code which doesn't seem too personal to me. I think they ask that stuff for demographic puposeses. As for spam, I have a gmail account so spam doesn't really bother me. It just goes straight to the spam folder. The real problem is when I'm waiting for an important email and never get it in my inbox... then I have to go searching thru the spam folder to find it! Ack! Good luck with your survey site. Let me know how it goes!

yep I don't do surveys either. I don't like giving out zip codes, names, income how many ppl in the household and how old they are and their birthdays. that's just way too much information to give out. so I don't think I ever completed any or get any money from it anyway

Erm... So far the online surveys I did are quite safe, did not ask too personl questions. I think u have to confirm the survey company is legal. For those famous survey company is more secure.

I don't do survey sites either because of the personal information and because of the fact that a lot of them seem to be spam. I did join up with one site that ended up just being a hosting site for other survey sites. I get surveys in my email for them, and have done one so far. I did start another one but messed up and tried to go back. I think survey sites needs to allow you to go back if you accidentally hit the wrong thing. Survey's are also boring though, so I think that that is also one of the reasons why I hardly do them! Great discussion!

There are some sites like GlobalTestMarket, SurveySavvy, InboxDollars and SendEarnings, which I don't think would do so. And I won't mind if they just send spams, because it is always possible to block any sender or bounce their mails, if we don't want any further mails from them, from our email service or email software like Outlook Express etc. However, I'll read their terms and privacy policy, before signing up with any site. I use a separate email id for these online sites.

I subscribed to a lot of online surveys in the past but I have stopped doing them now. I'm a little concerned that these companies hold information about you and I haven't exactly cancelled any of my accounts, I have so many of them. Anyway, I'm not sure that it's all that dangerous. I guess you should just follow your heart and do what you think is best. I have lost interest in them now and they don't exactly pay well. Andrew

I am a member of one site. I have not had any problems with it. They pay real fast, usually within 24 hours. $5.00 payout through paypal and it can be done in a couple of weeks if you do it everyday. You can earn up to 350 points per day, and payout is $5.00 per 1000 points. They also have other rewards you can get, restaurant gift cards, etc. I would rather have the cash. If you want, request to be a friend and I will send you my referral link.

i have participated in a few survey sites and and all look legitimate. i work on one of them and got paid 4 times as well. they are secure and do not pass your personal information to a 3rd party

I am a member of quite a few survey sites that are reputable companies. I have been paid by them all, and I did not pay anything to join. Surveys do get boring, but they have been a steady source of internet income for me. It's not big money, but it is better than I thought it would be. The more you do, the more you make. I also do a lot of product testing at home, which is nice. They send you the product to use for about 7 days and then you do a survey about it. You can keep the product and they pay you for your participation. I have tested shampoos, conditioners, make up, air fresheners, and toliet paper. If you want to know some of the companies I work for, add me as a friend and PM me. I will be happy to tell you which ones are not scams. I do not worry about personal information. To me, what they ask is pretty general. I have only given my address to them to have them mail a check to me, or to mail me a product to test. I would not give out my social security number, or any banking information, but I have never been asked for anything like that. I have been doing surveys since last May, and I haven't had any problems. But as I said, it does get boring. Sometimes I just have to take a day off so that I can refresh my mind and get back in the mood to do more surveys. I have joined quite a few survey sites, and I get loads of surveys sent to me everyday, all day long. I have a separate email address that I use only for surveyst. I would not recommend for anyone to start doing surveys using their regular email address, because it will flood your inbox with surveys and you will regret it.

I belong to a bunch of survey sites and all of them have paid me. Its nice to be able to give companies feedback on products that you use or that they may send you to test.

yeah,I have the same confusion about the question .I think most people would rather do a safe work rather than prefer a high -paid job on line .

Surveys are everything but safe. Mostly there are BIG FAT SCAMS!!!!! U spend days of filling surveys and u dont get payed. But probably whould have pay if they have surveys to fill. U fill one on the start and u thing this is easy and u dont get eny more surveys i cant earn enything. And all that stuff about personal information what about that. u might even tell them whats in ur house is it valuable

Just don't give out information that could be used to identify you personally, e.g address, phone number, name. Fake those, the only way they could make sure it's really you is by looking up all your information and if the company does that to people then you wouldn't want your information there anyway.

apples99, I do not think that there is anything that damnable with LEGITIMATE online survey sites and they are very responsible. I am a member with a few of these legitimate sites and understand that residents in US and Canada will have more and better sites to participate. Thus far, I have already received several payments already and I would encourage you to join and not worry unnecessarily. Take care and have a nice day.

I have a few of them that I am signed up for. I signed up for a bunch and then filtered out the ones that kept sending spam. I have been with Erewards for about a year now and they are pretty good. I have $100 in my account and while I couldnt get cash for it I traded it in for Hilton Honors points good towards a free night or so (the more of those I save the more nights we get). I also do like SurverySavvy I think it is, if thats who they are I just got a $24.00 check from them. I have about 2000 points with MyPoints which I am saving up for a gift card to who knows where. MySurvery.com is pretty reliable and safe as well. I dont know, I am sure I am a member of more but I just go thru my emails daily and take them. We recently did a survey on cereal and they sent us a box. I did a walmart one where I had to keep the reciept and answer about 45 minutes woth of questions. I am doing one now for lotion that I just got in the mail. They are going to send $10 after thats complete. I could go on but its time to get the kids from school! Good luck with the surverys

I think many survey sites that pretends to pay are scam.

You really need to research websites before you join them. There are a few legitimate sites out there, I usually look for the Better Buisness Bureau logo at the bottom of the page (it looks like BBB) I have one site that pays decently for their surveys and they pay you even if you don't qualify. It was rated one of the best sites, and I actually even saw it on the news. If you want me to give you some legitimate sites, send me a PM and I can send you links. I can also give you a link to my blog - it might help you find sites that are safe!

I have been a member of Global Test Market for just over a year and I have been happy with them so far. I may not qualify for every survey but I get points even when I don't qualify. You earn points which are redeemable for cash later. Once you earn 1000 points you can request a check - and you get it. I have received at least a half dozen checks so far. 1000 points is 50 bucks and some of my checks have been for over $200. I also don't get any SPAM from them - I proved this by signing up using an email alias I used only for them, and the only email I ever get at that address is invitations to a survey.