Is that survey real or fake? How to spot a survey scam

“Can
I
tell
a
legitimate
survey
apart
from
a
fake
one?”
is
the
single
most
important
question
you
need
to
answer
for
yourself
before
taking
any
surveys
online

Online
surveys
and
quizzes
are
all
over
the
internet.
They’re
quick
and
cheap
to
set
up,
easy
for
recipients
to
fill
out,
and
simple
for
researchers
to
interpret.
It’s
no
wonder
that
they
remain
a
popular
tool
for
marketers
to
reach
and
research
their
target
audiences.

Many
of
them
are
indeed
legitimate
and
even
paid
or
offer
other
rewards
in
return.
Every
little
helps,
especially
during
the
cost-of-living
crisis.
Or
perhaps
you
have
another
(and
good)
reason
to
participate
in
them
–
assuming
you
also
understand
the
value
of
the

information
you
may
be
disclosing
about
yourself
and
your
family.

But
since
it’s
just
as
quick
and
easy
for
scammers
to
mimic
legit
surveys
for
their
own
ends
and
dangle
‘rewards’
in
exchange
for
answers
to
a
couple
of
seemingly
innocuous
questions,
how
can
you
tell
a
legitimate
survey
from
a
phoney
one?

Whether
the
scammers
are
looking
to

steal
your
passwords,

credit
card
details
or
other
information,

install
malware
on
your
PC
or
another
device,
or
add
you
to
more
spam
mailing
lists,
it
makes
sense
to
understand
what
the
risks
are,
and
how
to
“separate
the
wheat
from
the
chaff”.

Tell-tale
signs
of
scam
surveys

These
scam
campaigns
are
increasingly
big
business
for
cybercriminals.

One
study
recently
revealed
that
a
single
criminal
network
was
making
US$80
million
per
month
from
global
victims
–
using
surveys
and
giveaways
from
120
well-known
brands
to
lure
its
victims.

You
guessed
it.
This
survey
–
which
was
part
of
a
scam
campaign

we
wrote
about
in
2018
–
isn’t
real

Here
are
some
of
the
red
flags
to
watch
out
for:

The
scam
often
begins
with
an

unsolicited
email
or
text/message
likely
spammed
out
to
countless
other
victims.
This
is
basically
a

phishing
message
designed
to
lure
the
recipient
into
participating
by
clicking
through.
It
often
features
a

well-known
brand
to
add
a
sense
of
legitimacy
and
encourage
the
victim
to
participate.
In
December
2022,

a
popular
survey
scam
abused
the
brand
of
chocolate-maker
Cadbury
to
do
this
–
promising
recipients
the
chance
to
win
‘an
exclusive
Christmas
Chocolate
Magic
Basket’
if
they
took
a
short
quiz.
The
scam
may
feature
a

thematic
lure
–
such
as
the
Christmas
Cadbury
one,
or
the
supposed
‘40^th
anniversary’
of
wholesaler
Costco
which
was

used
in
a
June
2022
campaign
in
South
America.

Scam
that
spread
in
Latin
America
in
2022

Recipients
are
offered

money,
a

gift
card,
a
gadget
(e.g.,
iPad/iPhone),
entry
to
a
sweepstake,
money
off
their
next
purchase,
or
any
number
of
non-existent
prizes
if
they
participate
in
the
survey.
But
…
Scammers
may
request
the
participant
pays
a

‘processing
fee,’
‘taxes’
or
a
‘shipping/handling’
charge
in
order
to
receive
the
non-existent
prize.
Clicking
on
the
message
will
take
the
user
not
to
a
legitimate
brand’s
website
but
an

imposter
website.
Often,
the
user
is

redirected
multiple
times

en
route
to
the
fake
survey,
as
was
the
case
with

this
scam,
which
promised
a
$500
Ulta
Beauty
gift
card
to
victims.
Victims
are
often
asked
to

share
the
survey/giveaway
offer
with
their
social
media
or
other
contacts,
which
distributes
the
scam
even
further
while
adding
legitimacy
in
the
eyes
of
recipients.

Scams
involving
fake
surveys
have
been
doing
the
rounds
for
years.
Here’s
an
example
of
a
scam

we
wrote
about
back
in
2016

What
are
the
dangers
surrounding
survey
scams?

If
you’re
unlucky
enough
to
fall
for
one
of
these
scams,
there
are
several
potential
outcomes.
You
might:

Be
asked
to
fill
out
personal
information
that
is
then
processed
to
add
you
to
a
spamming
list.
Be
asked
to
fill
out
personal
and
financial
information
that
results
in
identity
fraud
and/or
follow-on
phishing
attempts.
Unwittingly
install
malware
on
your
machine
by
visiting
the
scam
site.
Sometimes
the
survey
site
may
even
flash
up

fake
AV
warnings.
Malware
could
steal
your
login
details
for
banking
or
crypto
accounts,
encrypt
your
files
unless
you
pay
a
ransom
(ransomware),
co-opt
your
machine
into
a
botnet
etc.
Be
asked
to
pay
some
money
for
nothing,
such
as
membership
of
a
group
which
will
share
details
of
paid
surveys
with
you.
Be
hit
with
an
advanced
fee
scam
–
e.g.,
where
you’re
asked
to
pay
a
small
fee
in
return
for
a
prize
that
never
materializes.

The
bottom
line
is
that
survey
scams
lead
to
nothing
but
monetary
or
data
loss
–
plus
the
emotional
distress
of
trying
to
get
your
money
back
and
cancelling
bank
cards.

How
to
protect
yourself

With
the
above
in
mind,
it
makes
sense
to
understand
the
tell-tale
signs
of
a
survey
scam,
what
to
do
in
order
to
stay
safe
and
what
should
happen
if
you
fall
victim.
Consider
the
following
tips
to
spot
suspicious
surveys:

Look
out
for
any
offers
that
seem
too
good
to
be
true.
It
could
be
a
large
cash
prize
for
just
a
few
minutes
work,
or
an
expensive
gift.
Watch
out
for
typos
or
poor
grammar
–
it
could
be
a
sign
that
things
aren’t
quite
right.
Shortened
URLs
might
also
indicate
fraud.
Time-Limited
offers
are
another
way
for
scammers
to
turn
up
the
pressure
on
their
victims.
Some
senders
may
be
vague
about
who’s
running
the
survey
–
with
no
“contact
us”
link
to
follow.
If
the
sender
uses
a
free
webmail
account,
then
the
survey
is
likely
to
be
a
scam.

Also,
take
the
following
steps
to
stay
safe
and
secure:

Don’t
blindly
trust
survey
offers,
even
if
sent
from
a
friend
or
family
member.
Research
the
giveaway
to
see
if
it’s
being
reported
as
a
scam
or
if
it’s
legitimate.
Install
a
security
solution
from
a
reputable
vendor
on
all
devices
and
PCs.
Keep
your
OS
and
apps
updated
across
all
PCs
and
devices.
Only
trust
official
app
stores,
such
as
Google
Play
and
the
App
Store.
Keep
informed
about
current
threats
–
it
will
provide
a
useful
early
warning
system.
Use
strong
and
unique
passwords
together
with
multi-factor
authentication
(MFA)
for
all
important
accounts.
Even
if
scammers
steal
your
passwords,
it’s
less
likely
they
can
access
those
accounts
with
2FA
enabled.
Don’t
trust
the
caller
ID/sender
number
for
unsolicited
messages.
Never
pay
to
retrieve
‘funds’
–

these
are
always
scams.

If
the
worst
happens,
report
compromised
cards
immediately
to
your
bank
to
have
them
cancelled,
or
freeze
them
first
via
your
banking
app.
And
change
any
passwords
that
may
have
been
compromised.

Surveys
may
be
a
useful
tool
for
marketers,
but
they
are
often
of
limited
value
to
consumers.
Best
avoid
them
altogether
unless
you
have
a
very
good
reason
not
to.

About Author

AndyC

Andy Curtis is an award-winning security consultant, researcher and public speaker. He has been working in the computer security industry since the early 1990s, having been employed by state and federal government, leading healthcare and banking providers across three continents. He has given talks about computer security for some of the world’s largest companies, worked with law enforcement agencies on investigations into hacking groups, and is a regular voice on TV and radio explaining IT security threats.

See author's posts