One of the pitfalls for new people coming online and looking for ways to make money are paid survey scams. The promise of making money for very little work is appealing to all of us.

It's an unfortunate circumstance but it's simply part of the online landscape which novices need to be aware of. Yes, the promise of easy money is a great lure and the truth is, most people look for the "big red magic button" to generate extra income.

Can You Make Money With Online Surveys?

The simple answer is yes and many people do but like anything in life, some experience and a little due diligence will reap dividends in the long run.

So how can you avoid paid survey scams? Let's take a look at some of the ways to avoid losing your money or unnecessarily giving away personal information to scammers.

• Be cautious of claims which sound too goo to be true. They often are. A well written sales letter can convince even the most savvy person.

• If you have doubts about the legitimacy of a survey opportunity go to your favorite search engine and type in it's name followed by the word review. In many cases, others will have already used the service and if you find a lot of the reviews are uncomplimentary, give it a wide berth.

• Check online forums dedicated to online surveys or business opportunities and ask about the survey in question. Again, there is every likelihood someone will have come across it in their travels and either lost or made money with it and usually will be happy to report the results.

• Guarantees which seem outrageous should signal a red flag. The truth is, paid survey sites can really only offer to refund your money so there really is no incentive other than that for a site to make a guarantee.

• On the other hand, you shouldn't have to part with income in the first place. If you're being asked to pay money for a list of survey opportunities then don't. The information is usually freely available anyway. Besides, be realistic - why should you part with money when you're the one being asked to participate in a survey?

• Use Whois.com to check the details of a survey site. In many cases, paid survey scams will hide behind a proxy so as not to reveal their true identity. This could be considered another red flag.