(WTTV/WXIN) — How would you like to get paid to test products on Amazon?
If you think it sounds too good to be true, you’re right. However, there’s a tricky scam out there that’s getting some people to sign up for it.
It seems like a great deal; Amazon sends you products, free of charge, for you to check out so you can write an honest review. The problem is a lot of the ads going around for these jobs are fake, and even the real job doesn’t really pay you.
The watchdogs at Trend Micro are seeing a lot of this. Fake “product tester” job ads are being shared on social media including Facebook and TikTok. They say you can earn extra money by testing free products for Amazon and writing a review of your experience. One example reads like this:
“Former Amazon employee here – not many people know this, but Amazon has a program you can apply for where you get $1,500 sent to your Amazon account every month so that you can test and review their products.”
The links in the post will take you to some websites like these:
- testproductsnow[.]com
- basicstester[.]com
- testoutbasics[.]com
- thereviewprogram[.]com
- testerlist[.]com
Part of what makes this tricky is that Amazon does have a legitimate program like this, but it doesn’t work the same way. Amazon Vine selects the most insightful reviewers on its website to have products sent to them for free so they can write a review. However, that program is invitation only and participants don’t get paid.
There are also several third-party sites that will send free products to people to review as a way to promote their products. However, most of those don’t pay either. Any site that promises to pay is highly suspicious.
Of course, none of this should discourage you from writing reviews on Amazon if you’re so inclined. Just don’t let someone trick you into thinking you can get paid to do it.
