Mintvine Cash out Problem

[natofborg]

My PayPal cash out was rejected. I emailed them and their response was twofold:

1.  If I live outside of the countries that are allowed to participate, that could be the problem (I live in the USA)

2. Make sure that I am not using a proxy  

 

What is a proxy?  I tried to Google it, but didn't understand the explanation provided.  This is the first time I've ever had an issue with this company.   Thanks!  

[Njsurveyman]

Oh no. Please don't tell me that. I hope Mintvine isn't turning into a scam company. Should I stop doing their surveys? Can we have any more confirmation on this? Did anyone cash out with them successfully in recent days?

[peach6]

I cashed out

22 minutes ago, Njsurveyman said:

Oh no. Please don't tell me that. I hope Mintvine isn't turning into a scam company. Should I stop doing their surveys? Can we have any more confirmation on this? Did anyone cash out with them successfully in recent days?

I cashed out recently and was in my pay pal today

[jberri12]

A proxy is a computer that makes requests on your behalf.  The most common configuration is a virtual private network (VPN), where an encrypted data connection is set up between your computer (desktop/laptop/tablet/smartphone) and a computer out on the internet.  All of your network traffic then appears to come from the end computer (proxy) where your VPN ends.

These days most survey panels apparently now have software that checks the source IP address you are using and compares it to previous IP address(s) used.  If you appear to be coming from multiple IP addresses located in different geographic locations, that is a fraud flag (it's also a type of fraud detection used by financial institutions).

In my opinion this how many of us survey panelists are getting flagged for fraud.  If you do surveys from home, and also your phone/tablet, and from various other locations (like free wifi, while traveling, a friends house, etc.), those are all different source IP addresses.  Thus you are risking getting flagged for fraud.

Also, if you are using any of the panels that have you "download an application" to track your internet activities, those apps are setting up a VPN on your device so they can capture and analyze your network traffic.  So you are probably using different IP address in those cases and you don't even know it.

Bottom line is if you any of the above apply to you, there is a risk of getting flagged for fraud.  For myself I now no longer do surveys when I travel as I don't want to risk getting flagged.

Hope that helps everyone.

[Njsurveyman]

I understand this. However, I would think survey companies should be smart enough to realize that we take surveys from different sources and different places. This should be the norm. I would be more suspicious if every survey is taken from the same place and same device every time. I guess they rather have people with active lives and always on the go not take their surveys at all. So silly for them to have these policies.

I know banks have similar flagging software on their websites, but at least they normally just ask you a few extra security questions whenever logging in from an unfamiliar device or IP address.

 

 

[Spazmobot]

I haven't had any issues but I do the majority of surveys from home because when on mobile, there seem to be errors and screw ups that make me lose the survey, so it wastes my time.  So, since I'm in the same place, same ip, it does look like that's the issue.

[Spazmobot]

You do have to wonder though, why the canned response?  Isn't the whole purpose of customer service to respond on a case by case basis, and adjust things accordingly?  Canned response = lazy disrespect...