Toluna and OnlyCashSurveys

It used to be that if you needed extra money for any reason - your child's graduation gift, a new roof for the house, whatever - you would simply ask your boss for some overtime, and more often than not, your request would be granted.

Those days feel far gone at this point. Most men and women are no longer worried about overtime, they are simply worried about keeping their jobs. Salary freezes, decreases in benefits, absolutely no overtime - what used to be a nightmare job now seems like a gift from the employment gods in today's market.

So what to do if you are looking for a little extra money? One way that people seem more and more drawn to these days is making money by taking online surveys. While earning money this way will never allow you to quit your job or even to buy a new car, it may take the squeeze off of month to month bills and expenses.

There are a couple things to remember when looking into online surveys. In order to avoid scam operations, don't sign up with a company that demands your information without offering you anything but promises in return. Legit survey companies like Toluna or OnlyCashSurveys.com will be upfront about how they operate.

Do they work with point systems like Toluna or in monetary rewards like OnlyCashSurveys.com? Still other companies will offer you prize rewards for completing the surveys. You have to know what you need and expect and then find a company that offers you the best circumstances.

But most important, and this cannot be stressed enough, you should never have to pay anyone to give you surveys. Market research companies provide access to these surveys for free so that you are more willing to take them - remember, getting your information is in their best interest, that's why they pay you. If someone is demanding a one time fee or a membership fee, walk away. That person is trying to scam you.

The best way to avoid the scam is by trying to go straight to the market research company themselves. Avoid Jen and Bill's personal website promising to explain to you how they made $50,000 a year taking surveys. Jen and Bill are lying. Go straight to the source and figure out how to make taking surveys for money work for you.