NFriday Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 Hi- I go to craigslist frequently, and sign up for any focus groups I might be eligible for, and I got an email from a Paul Harrison who told me that the focus group I wanted to sign up for is full, but they have another survey that they are taking a limited number of people for that pays $250. You have to walk into a specific store and pretend to be a customer, and then you have to complete a survey about your experience. The survey will take up to 50 minutes to compete and you will be paid $250. Is this legit? It says that you could get additional surveys that also pay $250. In order to sign up with them, you must agree to check your email twice a day to see if they have sent you any. Does Opinion Outpost do these kind of surveys? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosiesmom Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 Is that like a Mystery Shopper? Were you asked to buy anything? That seems kind of high to just walk into a store, but if it is legit, jackpot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NFriday Posted August 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 Hi- The email says that I am not required to buy anything, and I might get more that pay that much. I am just supposed to fill out this 50 minute survey after I am done in the store, rating them on customer service. Apparently this is a chain that has had complaints about customer service. This just sounds too good to be true, and I did not know that Opinion Outpost did these type of surveys. For all I know the store could be 25 miles away too. Mystery shopping does not pay anywhere near this good. When I used to do temp office work in the Chicago area, I got a job where I had to visit an auto showroom, and pretend that I was in the market for a car, and then do a survey about it. The most that one paid was $40. I have heard that most of the mystery shopping gigs pay at most $20, and then you are expected to make a purchase, which you will get reimbursed for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NFriday Posted August 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 Hi- I just went on Opinion Outposts website, and I found a 1-800 number to call when I clicked FAQ, and I got an all our agents are busy, please leave your name phone number and email address, and we will get back to you. I just reread the email I got, and it said all the surveys would pay $250. He listed a number that he texted the email from, and it is a North Hollywood, CA number. It says in the email that I am supposed to supply them with my name phone number and email account, and they ask me whether I am a resident of the US. It says that you are supposed to supply them with all this information, but it does not give a link so I can fill it out. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footfree Posted August 6, 2015 Report Share Posted August 6, 2015 Hi- I just went on Opinion Outposts website, and I found a 1-800 number to call when I clicked FAQ, and I got an all our agents are busy, please leave your name phone number and email address, and we will get back to you. I just reread the email I got, and it said all the surveys would pay $250. He listed a number that he texted the email from, and it is a North Hollywood, CA number. It says in the email that I am supposed to supply them with my name phone number and email account, and they ask me whether I am a resident of the US. It says that you are supposed to supply them with all this information, but it does not give a link so I can fill it out. Thanks Sounds way to good to be true.I would definitely check on that.I know that people have disguised themselves as a survey company to get peoples info.I wouldn't give any info until you have personally talked to OO about this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 I'd be suspicious. All the "outside" money I've earned from OO has usually been via a survey first from OO. Same for other survey sites. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NFriday Posted August 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 OO has not gotten back to me yet. If it was just one time that they would pay $250 for a survey I would maybe believe it, but they talked about other surveys paying that much. I logged onto craigslist, and checked out the recent listings under volunteer and ex cetera, and I looked at the market research ones that I clicked previous, and most of the market research ones are for focal point global, and the remaining ones are definitely not ones this guy might have posted, and plus this guy is apparently in California,, and I am in the Chicago area. He asks for information in the email, but he does not give me anywhere to click to fill out the info. I could really use the money, but there are just too many unanswered questions. I am a member of care.com and sittercity.com, and I just spent an hour applying online for care giving jobs, and a few people have tried to scam me on sittercity.com. There were one job that I applied for, and the guy was paying too much money, and I became suspicious, and then he emailed me and told me he was moving into the Chicago area, but had not found a place yet, and he was paying $23 a hour for babysitting. I reported him. There is somebody else that posts on sittercity all the time who supposedly has a sister who needs help, and she is paying $350 for nine hours of work a week. When I applied for the job, she gave me a number to call her up, and it is an escort service. That person posts at least once every other week, and I keep reporting her, and they keep letting her post. Thanks for everyone's help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Njsurveyman Posted August 7, 2015 Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 This definitely either sounds like a scam or some company who wants to use you as a mystery shopper, but then refuse to pay. I have dealt with many shady MS companies in the past (most of them are shady) and most pay very little (like $5-$10) for audits that can take an hour long and then to do a lot of paperwork. Also, they have a reputation for stiffing you on the money at times. I have been doing focus groups for many years and the most I was paid was about $170. I have seen a few focus groups that advertise paying $250, but those are for clinical drug trials and stuff you probably wouldn't want to mess with. But, $250 for a mystery shopping gig is unheard of. Some MS companies even send these FAKE large western union checks in the mail even before you complete a job, and they can end up getting you in a lot of trouble along with your bank account information. If it seems too good to be true, it always is when it comes to surveys, MS jobs, etc... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NFriday Posted August 7, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2015 Hi-OO never got back to me. I noticed that they are in Connecticut. and this guy is in California, and so that is another reason I suspect this one is bogus. Actually I am doing a market research thing right now that is supposed to end on 8/10, and hopefully I will get my money soon. It is a dish washing soap one, and I have used the product for four weeks. You first have to use your regular product for two weeks, and then you use the new product, and then you use your regular product for two weeks. I am being paid $185, plus an additional $20 for the two small bottles of my regular soap I had to buy. I also did a mock jury once that paid at least $200, but it was all day with a free lunch. There was a market research study on Craigslist recently, where they were looking for supercouponers, and they were coming to your house to see your setup, and that one paid $350. They were looking for people that buy $50 worth of groceries for $2 I am sure, and those are far and few since Chicago does not have double coupons. I have done some clinical trials for cholesterol, but the ones I have done have been for supplements. They generally pay $50 per visit. I have been looking for another one to do, but the guy that was in charge of the cholesterol studies at Radiant Research is no longer at their Chicago location, and they are not doing them right now. Most of the drug studies though are generally in the third stage of testing right before they get FDA approved, and one of my sister's who is a lipid research thinks they are pretty safe. They have to pay more for surveys though if they have a hard time getting people for their studies. For example doctors will not bother doing studies that are going to only pay $100. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spazmobot Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 I am also in Chicago and frequently check Craigslist for focus groups. However ,this guy is a scam. He uses many names, emails, survey companies etc but the scam is always the same - the ad will say a focus group for $250 - you write, he writes back saying that one's filled, but send your info for another "project" (even if it was just posted on CL 5 seconds ago, it's been filled, lol,) and then you send him info. It'll usually lead to him wanting you to do some kind of mail fraud or phone fraud, meanwhile your email gets spammed with garbage and scams. He posts regularly in Chicago CL, but I did a Google search to find he posts the same ads, sometimes verbatim, in other town's CL as well. So, don't go for it, it's not legit. Legitimate market research companies have multiple ways for you to contact them, not just via email from a Craig's List ad. It's also pretty rare nowadays for a focus group by itself to be worth $250. Usually, that'll be a health focus group, a multiple day online bulletin board group or sometimes a mock jury can pay that much. I have noticed a trend of focus groups not paying as much as they used to and I think it has a lot to do with the fact that there are many ways to do these groups electronically, as opposed to on-site and in person. I also think it has to do with the fact that more people are signing up to do them, now, more than ever before. They have a larger pool of participants to choose from so they don't have to pay as much... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NFriday Posted August 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 Hi- Thanks Spazmobot- I knew this one had to be bogus. You have to be so careful on craigslist. I see people putting their email and phone number on there, and I would never do that. I just wish they would get rid of all the multiple posts in etc. for the make $800 a week with your car. I've heard that they tell you that your individual car insurance will cover you if you get in an accident while you are transporting somebody, but it won't, and so you are stuck with all the bills if you get in an accident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spazmobot Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 Yeah I agree with you there. What people don't seem to remember is that Craig's List is just an online Classifieds. They let anyone post on there, with very little oversight that pretty much only amounts to if someone flags the post, then they might do something. But it doesn't stop people from posting the same carp again, because they have a million emails to sign up with and post again, even if the flagged post email is blocked from posting. Just be careful. Legitimate companies do post on CL, but it's usually a redundancy for other ways they can notify/screen you, i.e. via email, text message, phone call, etc. Every great once in a while, a small company, or business, will post a focus group or survey on CL, and you can find out it's legit the same ways as any - they'll have many ways to contact them and they'll have legitimate websites that they promote their businesses with. I've been doing all this stuff a while, so I can pretty much spot fraud a mile away, but occasionally, I can be fooled too -- scammers evolve just like any other crooks, so they're constantly trying to up their game and find new ways to get over on people. It really helps to have forums like these so everyone can share and boost awareness. Anytime I find scams I try to let as many ppl as poss know about it, and if we all pass it on, we can better protect ourselves and each other! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Njsurveyman Posted August 9, 2015 Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 NFriday....which survey company is paying you that much to use dishsoap? Sounds like a company I would like to sign up for. Or, was it just some research company on craigslist (just for your area)? Regarding Craigslist, I know in the NYC area, they actually charge a company a couple of bucks to post these research study ads to their credit cards so that the person/company can be tracked. It does help keep it a little more legit (in that section at least). The two biggest red flags on craigslist to tell if it's a scam would be if you get an automated reply asking for your email address right away and if the location field is left blank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NFriday Posted August 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 Hi- It was NDR at their Skokie location. I believe they are somehow affiliated with Ipsos, because the survey I had to do in their office right before they gave me the dish soap to try was written by Ipsos. National Data Research has other offices I know, but I can's remember where. This was the first survey I did with them. When I finished testing the dish soap, I had to go back to the office and return it, and do an online survey telling them how I liked it. I have one more survey that I will have to do online, that I am supposed to get around 8/10, which is tomorrow, and then I get paid. I will definitely do another survey with them if they ask me. There have been some prospective focus groups though that I have gotten emails for, that have asked if I have done any other projects in the last three months though, and I told them yes. Technically this was not a focus group though, but I did a one on one group with University of Illinois Chicago five weeks ago that paid me $75, which is really good for a school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NFriday Posted August 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2015 Hi- I just checked NDR's website, and I was wrong. They only have two offices, the Skokie one, and one on Michigan Avenue in Chicago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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