Paid surveys are an easy way to make money online. What can be easier than getting paid for your opinion! You don't need to be an expert on how to make money online to be able to take advantage of this opportunity. However, its not always easy to find legitimate paid surveys sites to work for. Since online surveys are so popular amongst people, specially amongst work at home job seekers, scammed have been taking advantage of the opportunity to cash in.

That’s why there are probably more paid survey scams out there, than the real thing. If you are thinking of doing online surveys as a way to make some extra money, it would be vise to do some research first about each paid survey site you would like to register with. Here are 5 ways you can find out if a survey site is a legitimate paid survey site or just another one of those paid surveys scams:

Check with the BBB

One of the best ways to find out about legitimacy of a paid survey site, is to check with the BBB. You can use BBB to check for possible complaints against the specific paid survey site you are researching about. But, keep in mind that just because there are no complaints against a specific survey site, it doesn’t mean all is ok. Sometimes it just means people who have use those sites haven’t had a chance to report a complain.

Whois lookup

Most paid survey scams sites and any other scam site for that matter, use proxies to register their sites. By using proxies, scammers are able to hide their real contact information. Whois allows you to find out if a site was registered using proxy or not. If the site you are searching for was indeed registered using proxy, there is a good chance the owner of the site and the site itself are up to no good.

Scam revealing forums

There are many great online forums and sites dedicated to exposing scams, where members talk about there experience with different sites. If you are worried about the legitimacy of a paid survey site, look for more info on scam forums such as Scam.com and RipOffReport.com. Chances are you will find people who have previously used the site and have experienced it first hand. Of course, like most other things, scammers use these forums to promote their sites as well. So, don’t run to register with the site, as soon as you read a positive comment about a paid survey site.

Get paid to forums

get paid forums and online money making forums in general are good places for finding out about a paid survey site. If a paid survey site is legitimate, chance are it will be mentioned by at least a few members. Some forums even have specific sections dedicated to individual paid survey sites, where members disgust everything from the survey invitations to the rewards offered for taking the surveys, and everything in between. Get paid to forums are a great resource for separating paid survey scams from legitimate paid surveys sites. I found out about two of my favorite legitimate paid survey sites Opinion outpost and Valued Opinions using online forums.

Search engines

Sometime all it takes to find out if a survey site is legitimate or scam, is to simply Google it! If it is a paid survey scam, chances are you will know it in a few minutes. A lot of times, people who have been scammed, leave comment or complain on other related blogs or websites, and a simple search can reveal them.

When it comes to paid surveys, just like any other online money making method, you have to be vigilant and stay alert. The fact is, internet is full of scam and scammers who are waiting to take advantage of any opportunity that comes around and rip you and me off. It may take a few extra minutes to find legitimate paid survey sites. But, sometimes spending a little time researching before getting involved with a paid survey site, can save you a lot of time and money, not to mention the disappointment and frustration that comes with being a victim of paid surveys scams.