Is it not really a screener? Was it actually just a mistake that it was reported or is it something that really is against ToS and just there are others that also do it so you can't figure out why you didn't get away with it?
edit: I'm not trying to be stealth snarky I don't actually know what's wrong with your hits, I don't know what they are. I just know you mentioned referrals and now this says screener.
It is a screener. There are SPECIFIC things in the hit that state "IF you answer to this question is NO, please return the hit because you WILL NOT qualify for the follow up."
Yet, I get about 40 out of every 100 hits where people still answer that and submit it. So, I was rejecting them because, I mean, honestly, it is right there. Duh...
My TO was getting trashed. Well, I mean, if you can't read the instructions...
So, I just decided to approve them all. no matter what.
The follow up study is done outside of MTurk and does ask for information that would verify that you are giving correct answers. People are flagging my hit because they state it is asking for personal information. I was asking for email before, so I removed that and just placed the link I was giving people right there in the hit. It is a screener to see if you would qualify for the follow up survey. I do get a kickback from it, so I dunno.
EDIT:
Honestly, it's probably the last time I run these. When the money is out, I am done. I just see the quality of answers and work and I am truly scared for any college study that is on here. I made it so obvious. I said DONT ANSWER THIS AND SUBMIT.... people did anyway. I can only shake my head.
This also leads me to take TO with a grain of salt and use it as a basic guide. I used to live and die by their ratings, but seriously... If the people posting reviews are that daft, then I can only imagine.