'Dodgy' survey sites

Dynata has moved on to e-rewards and offering velocity points for surveys.
I gave honest and lengthy, thoughtful responses to surveys for 6 weeks.
When I tried to “cash out” my account was suspended.
I have reported them to ACCC.
If you get error QSB0303-17 beware - you have reached the threshold where it’s too expensive for them to pay you. Your account is dead.
You will never get that time back or your points or gift cards.
This shady company is scamming our time and just because its small amounts it’s brushed under the rug. But this is their business model… SHADY AF

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Hi Everyone, I followed Google links “Rewards Central Class Action” to the boat. Can anyone report on this Facebook group? It looks still active but before joining I wonder if such legal action can be taken? Also anyone has had luck with legal advices on taking on RewardsCentral?

Can phb the moderator from Choice comment on my questions?

I joined many years ago and stopped doing surveys while I was too busy, then I went back found many points expired - which made me realised it’s a dodger, even worse was that they freezed my account and demand my ID to get it activated.

Does this breach privacy laws? What if they collect and misuse our ID documents?

I believe there’d be more people out there wondering; and I trust Choice forum is better than the Facebook group.

TIA for your two cents to make this happen.

Hi @Scam-Bust, welcome to the community.

I haven’t joined the FB page so can’t comment on its authenticity or motivations. I can say that often FB pages like these are created to encourage individuals with similar situations to join groups, hoping that if enough individuals join a ‘no win, no fee’ type lawyer firm take on a legal claim on behalf of affected individuals. I suspect this could be a reason for this group being established.

It is unlikely individuals in the group would fund a class action themselves as the return if successful is likely to be dwarfed by the legal costs (viz amounts being owed by RewardsCentral are small compared to the legal costs of mounting a successful class action). Legal firms will also know this is the case and are therefore unlikely to take it on.

The only reason one would pursue a class action if the principle of taking action on their deceptive behaviour was the driving factor and one had very deep pockets and was willing to find such action without reward.

Hopefully any individual doing a basic internet search before joining RewardsCentral finds this thread, and after reading it persuaded them to steer clear if the site. Likewise the FB page or review websites.

In relation to asking for identity documents to reactive an account, if it was a genuine survey site with credibility, this may he a reasonable request to verify the individual reactivating the account in fact owns the accrued rewards.

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Hi phb, Thank you very much for your reply. Indeed This path of pursuing class action looks long and winding.

Just two queries to ensure I understand: you mentioned Review Websites, you mean they are like RewardsCentral and the Facebook group, better to steer-clear?

Just want to share this, hopefully more and more people wake up to the fact that the regulatory body in Australia is dysfunctional- e.g, ASIC, etc they often let the bad guys go and thus send a message to victims that: bad luck! I can’t help. Compared with those huge losses people suffered I feel no comfort because the nature of the “offences” are the same no matter the amount of loss- the loss of confidence in the Authority. I Hope the power of a community will grow, at least we can help each other.

And this: since this RewardsCentral is not genuine I believe, I should refuse and that means I’d lose past time spent, right?

Besides leave it behind, Any suggestions as to how to deal with it (legally impossible, government agency ignored)?

Thank you.

Those like ProductReview, TrustPilot, SiteJabber etc. If there are enough disparaging reviews, this may persuade others to avoid.

But, see below.

I don’t disagree with you as there is enough information indicating that be business collects information (data harvests) its users without honoring their commitment to pay any ‘rewards’ earned.

It also appears RewardsCentral may not exist anymore and has been reported as now being EmailCash. EmailCash (Email Cash) is another data harvesting ‘survey’ website to avoid.

It has also had past iterations such as EmailCash Marketing and TEMPNAME.

Personally I would be avoiding any survey sites which claim to offer rewards for alconsumer’s data. The only ones I would consider are those such as Roy Morgan or IPSOS which are well recognised, have good reputations, provide details of the survey purpose, funding of a survey and clear privacy policies in relation to survey information collected. Signing up to unknown survey sites claiming cash for consumer survey data should raise alarm bells. I have seen survey for cash reward advertisements on social media which is another flag.

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Thank you for your reply. The question remains- what can we do about it? To those already fell victims to such a scam, walk away is the only way? I no longer look at online ads.

The website RewardsCentral still there with no change of name but maybe you are right. I also found the company listed on the site PermissionCorp has a separate website and even a linkedIn account, I intend to ask a lawyer to issue a letter or the letter will be drafted from me, but their ABN and ACN info are outdated and both are de-registered. The address I can found online is Chatswood, but one biz info site showed it’s at St Leonards. Do you know if they are illegally operating? The problem is the authorities wouldn’t care to investigate this business. I saw on this forum the most recent post said she got her rewards back after threatening legal action, what’s your opinion on trying it out anyway? It seems no other way except forget it.

I don’t know if they are still operating, but a website doesn’t mean that they still are. They could paid for 3+ years hosting of their website in advance, so it may remain somewhat functional until such time that the hosting runs out.

If their ABN and ACN aren’t active/have been deregistered, it possibly means that the business behind RewardsCard isn’t a operating entity any more.

You are more than welcome to send a letter of demand from a lawyer, but you possibly will find that the cost to prepare the letter will be more than what they owe you in earned rewards. Also, if the business no longer exists, the money won’t be well spent.

You could try and take them to FairTrading in NSW, but, if the business no longer exists this is also likely to hit a dead end.

In relation to authorities investigating, I don’t know if they have but could be the reason why you have found that they have been deregistered. If the business is deregistered and no longer an entity, then they won’t investigate as it is likely that they won’t get anywhere. They may consider the business one that had liabilities and has now folded with unsecured creditors.

RewardCard also had similar ‘survey’ websites in other countries, so it is also possible that the business has shifted offshore to avoid any liabilities that it had in Australia.

As indicated above, unless one has deep pockets and wants to follow up as a matter of principle, I would forget them and put it down to a lesson to be learnt. I would also place objective reviews on review websites like those in an earlier post, to warn others of the risks of joining RewardsCard…if it happens to reappear in the future. If you want to protect other consumers in the future, you could also keep an eye out to see if this particular business/survey website model rebirths. If it does, reviews can be made with the new name warning consumers of the potential risks due to past business history of the operators.

Is the business providing the rewards (aka payment) actually a purchaser and the consumer offering the review a seller?

If it is that way is it even a matter FairTrading NSW can act on or one that Australian Consumer Law may not apply to?

My thoughts if a large enough group of consumers were to bring actions to recover the debts owed and able to prove so according to law, is there any prospect of ASIC taking action against the directors of the registered business, EG for trading insolvent? Or are the business’s actions potentially dishonest and fraudulent? Depending on who the key business owners are it might also be futile. It’s assuming the actions ASIC could take would hit the real perpetrators hard enough to dissuade others.

It’s moments like these one feels a bag full of the well known sweets might offer the only lift to what by all accounts has so far been a bitter sweet experience.

Hi Mark,

Thank you. Thought-provoking.

It’s a rational one but can I argue in fact, the business we are talking about purchased out time and data harvested in a non-disclosure way = dishonest; this argument is based on the nature of onle business types, they are not categorised as e-commerce thus no receipts but consumers/the unsuspecting victims can prove transactions.

I know you are trying to help us.

Hi again,

You are correct, but I asked if sending the letter would be effective based on your knowledge. Sorry I didn’t make it clear how much is the cost the legal help. If it’s free, is it still worth trying? The only concern is if the address is undeliverable.

Thank you

I can’t say if sending a letter would be effective, but as all indications are RewardsCentral may no longer operating. Even the address of RewardsCentral appears to be up for lease.

If they are not operating, all indications are they aren’t, then sending a legal letter of demand won’t have any effect/would be a waste if time.

Even if someone online said it worked in the past, this may be true or wishful hope…but this possibly was when they still operated.

If the business went insolvent, which is a possibility based on information available, it is likely to have been wound up some time ago and there won’t be anything to claim against. Hence, a letter even if it is forwarded to the original business owners will be ignored.

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There are Free Consumer Law centres that may provide the outline of your letter, perhaps their best services are that they can give you support in the legal advice that you will need to pursue claims. Contacting one that is in your State/Territory is the best place to start to see what help they can give you.

We have a small list of them on this site that may provide you with some to look at Free Legal Advice Centres

CHOICE and the ACCC also provide templates of letters/emails that you can avail yourself of, for free.

RewardsCentral still appears to be an active site and is able to be visited by me.

It is operated by PermissionCorp Pty Ltd https://www.permissioncorp.com/

Their address is (confirmed by the frozen account reactivation form)

Level 7, Tower 2
475 Victoria Avenue
Chatswood, NSW 2067, AU

Ph: 0294098600

For their trademark though the address is Suite G1, Ground Floor, 221 Miller Street NORTH
SYDNEY NSW 2060, AUSTRALIA. This is a 2006 record and therefore may no longer be correct, or it may be the address of their legal agents for the purposes of trademark registrations.

I have taken screenshots of their ABN details and their site to show that Permissioncorp and RewardsCentral are both used to describe the company and that PermissionCorp is still active for the purposes of it’s ABN.

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It’s self evident as you point out that the business who consumers provided review and related personal data to needs to be called to account. It was not intended as a point of argument.

The question is whether when dealing with the business offering to reward in return for the voluntary offered reviews one enters into the agreement under Australian law as a ‘consumer’? The ACCC has much to say in business to consumer relationships and disputes. It’s not apparent which if any of the circumstances subject to Australian Consumer Law describes the relationship one might have entered into.

If it was a matter that the ACL covers, have the multiple complaints about the failed schemes and providers been accepted by the ACCC, as is its role? How has the ACCC responded?

Curiosity is to ask how the ATO views the ‘rewards’ if collected, and whether they are assessable income?

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They are treated as “Other Income” and are to be declared in the tax year they are received and not the year redeemed. So a reward earned is to be declared in that tax year of being earned, regardless of when or if it might actually be redeemed.

An ATO response on this matter from 2019 but is still referenced by them in 2022

https://community.ato.gov.au/s/question/a0J9s0000001Gc1/p00040159

https://community.ato.gov.au/s/question/a0J9s000000NAYV/p00188612

The Interpretive Decision (2002) that backgrounds all this

Deductions for expenses incurred in completing the surveys can be claimed, so things like cost of internet, power and such should be claimable but how much would that cost be apportioned over a year (e.g. 5 minutes on survey would not consume much power or internet resources and yet 4 hours a day could be substantial).

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Looking at the PermissionCorp website, it appears that they used RewardCentral survey site to harvest information from consumers so that they could run direct/targeted marketing campaigns. It has the following wording from some of its former clients:

The response of the email base is impressive and the multiple advertising opportunities offered by RewardsCentral help to keep in touch with customers without harassing them.

…every campaign we have run with RewardsCentral. They provide a simple solution, qualified contacts and they drive quality business to our site.

…RewardsCentral has played a key role in growing our traffic exposure and sales.

Some survey sites indicate that RewardsCentral hasn’t been active for some time (a number of years), and there are allegations that the RewardsCentral website is used to ‘phish’ for personal information. The phishing includes requests for copies of identify documents which after their provision, contact ceased (refer to link in @grahroll post above which I would not be completing and lodging).

It appears that payouts have not been occurring for some time (possibly since 2011/12) and it has altered its program T&Cs from time to time. While its original premise may have good intentions, history of its operation appears that it was far from genuine.

It would also be worth seeing the terms and conditions if anyone has them. If it is like similar sites which turn out to be dodgy, points are lost when an account is ‘deactivated’ or the terms and conditions are ‘breached’. Irrespective of this, the current RewardsCentral website isn’t functional and appears to have been wound up.

At best any past account holder would be an unsecured creditor. Being an unsecured creditor, it is unlikely that any action will result in success for any earned rewards. If winding up occurred through a formal process, any unsecured creditors would have had to make a formal claim for any monies after sale of assets etc. If a formal claim wasn’t made, then an unsecured creditor would have no ability to recover any monies at a later date.

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The NZ site SmileCity (https://smilecity.co.nz/) closed on 10 August 2020, I can’t locate the UK arm though most have referred the participants to “sister sites” run by Dynata LLC e.g. https://www.MyOpinions.com.au and https://www.opinionworld.co.nz/

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Thank you. You could be right. What I don’t understand: why are they still letting people doing the survey now? Yo keep data harvesting then it’s criminal activity because they no longer operating? Given the fact their ABN was cancelled (showing on ABN public record). What kind of society we are in? No authority cares? lots of rats running around SCAMMING PEOPLE.

Thank you for the info, I couldn’t login for many months, but I’m still a member on their book, I wonder why I didn’t get the email asking me move onto another site. Of course I wish they erase my data.

Do you know if they were closed by any authorities?

Obviously not in Aussie land.