I completely understand your concerns, and I can see why it may seem that way. The study is completely legitimate, and deposit contract methods are not uncommon in behavior research. The hope is to learn if incentives based on the deposit can help people reduce their drinking, while they wear an alcohol detection device. We are a part of UT Health San Antonio, part of the Neurobehavioral Research Laboratory and Clinic (NRLC) department. Eligible participants must live in the area and come to the actual UT Health campus to participate, and only after they sign the necessary forms and go through proper informed consent do we begin the study or collect any money. This is an entirely voluntary process and participants will know that the money can be earned back in full in addition to bonuses. I have attached a links to verify our legitimacy. Our only intention is to obtain participants for this research study, not to make money.

NRLC information: https://lsom.uthscsa.edu/psychiatry/research/nrlc/
Here is a link directly to the details of our research study: https://vpr.uthscsa.edu/findastudy/protocol/35342#/

Other deposit contract studies that have already been published: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2606603/ https://csu-csus.esploro.exlibrisgroup.com/esploro/outputs/graduate/The-effectiveness-of-a-voluntary-deposit/99257831082801671 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0167487022000605