Staying safe
Spotting a fake study.
Real research pays well, which is exactly why fake research exists. Almost every scam in this field fails one of four tests, and you can apply all four before replying to anyone.
The four that matter
1. You are never asked to pay
Not a registration fee, not a background check, not a deposit, not a “refundable” anything. There is no legitimate reason to pay money to be paid for your opinion. This single rule catches most of them.
2. Nobody sends you a check to forward
You are sent a check, asked to deposit it and wire part of it somewhere, or to buy gift cards with it. The check bounces days later and the money is yours to repay. This is the most expensive version and it is always fraud.
3. Banking details are not part of an application
A real study asks for payment details after you take part, and never needs your online banking login or card number. Being asked for either at the application stage is the end of the conversation.
4. The organizer is a real, findable company
A named firm with its own website and a real address. If the whole exchange lives in a messaging app and you cannot work out who is behind it, there is nothing to verify.
Smaller signs, worth noticing together
- Pay that makes no sense for the time asked — hundreds of dollars for a few minutes with no specialist requirement.
- You were selected without applying, especially by text or direct message.
- No screening at all. Real studies want a specific kind of person and nearly always ask questions first.
- Pressure to decide now, or a link that expires in minutes.
- A free email address where a company domain should be.
- Your Social Security number up front. It is needed for tax paperwork after you are selected and paid, not on an application.
If you have already replied
- Stop replying. You owe no explanation and arguing gives them more to work with.
- If you deposited a check, tell your bank today. Explain what happened before the check is returned, not after.
- If you shared banking or card details, call the bank or card issuer and ask them to freeze and reissue.
- If you sent gift card numbers, contact the card issuer immediately. Occasionally the balance can still be frozen.
- Keep everything. Messages, names, links, amounts and dates. A report is far more useful with them.
- If you shared your Social Security number, consider a credit freeze with the three credit bureaus. It is free.
Where to report it
Reporting is worth the ten minutes even when the money is gone, because it is what gets these operations shut down.
- Federal Trade Commission — reportfraud.ftc.gov, the main place to report fraud in the United States.
- FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center — ic3.gov, for anything that happened online.
- Your state attorney general, who handles consumer complaints locally.
- The platform it arrived on — the job board, social network or messaging app. They remove accounts on report.
- The company being impersonated, if a real firm’s name was used. They will want to know.
If you found it here
Every study on this site is traced to the organizer’s own page before it is published, and we never list a signup form as a study. We can still be wrong: a source can change a page between our checks. If a listing here led you somewhere that failed any test above, email info@focusgroupmoney.com with the link and we will look at it and pull it if it does not hold up.
This page is general safety information, not legal or financial advice. If you have lost money, your bank and the agencies above are the people who can act.