Online survey taking scams have been around since the early days of the web.  People who want to earn income are lured into joining sites that promise cash or points that can be redeemed for cash just for taking a quick survey. As someone who has sought to make a living online I have tried some of of the survey taking scam sites.  I call them survey scams because often they will solicit a membership fee from those who join, or make outrageous promises of income.  For the most part these companies are not doing anything illegal but what they often do is give those who are lured into joining a false sense that they can make a lot of money. Often you will have to buy a product to “make money”. Since these trial offers do put some instant money in your pocket you get the impression you are earning by joining things like the “fruit of the month club”, etc. After the instant money is gone you get stuck with credit card bills at the end of the trial period and some offers can be very hard to cancel.

Scam survey companies will use images like stacks of dollars to entice you to join. Small piles of pennies might be more apt.

As a means to earn income on the web I have found that article writing for revenue sharing sites like TheInfoMine.com is a much better strategy. By creating interesting content with lucrative associated advertising, you can expect a small stream of income over the years. On the other hand, with survey taking scams you are counting on earning income from a direct action, such as clicking on an e-mail, ticking boxes on a form, or ordering a product. Once you quit doing the action, your income stops.  On the other hand, you may write an article such as this one and get clicks or product sales months later.

So, if you are looking for a way to earn steady residual income, avoid survey taking scams companies and concentrate on writing articles about things that you know about.   There may be a few non scam paid survey companies out there, but what you will make versus writing articles is very small.