The Scam Many Are Calling Out: FiveSurveys & PrimeOpinion — What’s Really Happening

Quick summary

Over the last year, thousands of users on Reddit, review sites, and survey forums have reported the same pattern: they complete surveys or build up balances, the survey buyer (or system) shows activity, but the participant never receives promised payouts. Many say accounts are then blocked, frozen, or effectively shadowbanned with no meaningful reply from support.

What users are reporting (the recurring pattern)

1. Sweet sign-up, good early payouts: New users often report getting paid a few initial times, which builds trust.
2. Work a lot, then suddenly stop getting paid: After doing multiple surveys, people say they are screened out or credited for fewer surveys than they actually completed.
3. Payouts vanish / don’t arrive: Several threads explicitly describe finishing surveys and not receiving payment even when the system or buyer was apparently paid.
4. Accounts frozen or shadowbanned: People report being blocked from surveys or seeing dramatic reductions in qualifying invites after their first few successful payouts.
5. Support silence or canned replies: Complaint threads on Trustpilot and Reddit show either no reply or repetitive, unhelpful responses from support.

Representative evidence — public threads & reviews

You don’t have to take my word for it — here are publicly visible reports (screenshots and comment threads are linked below). These threads show multiple independent users describing the same issues: non-payment, screening-out after long surveys, and blocked accounts.

• Reddit threads describing non-payment and claims that FiveSurveys / PrimeOpinion “scammed” users. Source
• Reddit threads discussing issues with Prime Opinion and Five Surveys. Source
• Trustpilot pages full of mixed reviews — many positive but also numerous, detailed negative reports of payments withheld and poor support responses. FiveSurveys | Prime Opinion
• SurveyPolice and other beermoney forums where long-term members discuss accounts being “booted” after they began earning. Source

What this looks like in practice (concrete examples)

Example snippets from complaints (paraphrased): “I completed surveys all day and was screened out for payoff after long surveys”; “I cashed out once, then next time I was blocked”; “Support ignored my request even after providing screenshots.” These are repeated themes across threads.

What you should do if you’ve been affected

If you suspect you’ve been shorted or shadowbanned, do the following immediately:

• Document everything: save screenshots of completed surveys, confirmation pages, emails, timestamps, and the exact account balance history.
• Check payment routes: if the site says it paid via PayPal / Venmo / gift card, check the payment provider for incoming transactions and save their confirmation IDs.
• Open a dispute with your payment provider: if a payment was promised or initiated and didn’t arrive, open a dispute through PayPal or your bank (provide your screenshots and evidence).
• Use public complaint channels: post a short factual review on Trustpilot and relevant subreddits — companies often respond faster to public complaints.
• File a complaint with consumer protection: in the US you can file with the FTC and your state consumer protection office; in other countries use the local consumer authority.
• Avoid providing more personal data: if an account is acting suspiciously, don’t hand over extra ID unless you’ve verified their identity and a support contact is clearly legitimate.

How to protect yourself going forward

• Don’t treat survey sites as reliable income — they can and do change payout rules or freeze accounts.
• Test small: withdraw early and often rather than letting a large balance accumulate.
• Keep separate payment channels and unique passwords; use two-factor if available.
• Follow community threads for early warnings — frequent posters on Reddit and survey forums will often flag changes quickly.

Final takeaway

There are legitimate paid survey panels, and there are also panels where a critical mass of users report the same troubling pattern: early payouts, then withheld payments and account restrictions with little or no human support. The public threads and reviews above contain enough consistent complaints that anyone using FiveSurveys or PrimeOpinion should proceed cautiously and keep documented proof of their work and payouts.