It’s fairly astonishing that scammers are nonetheless selling stuffing envelopes as a legit do business from home job.
I can let you know firsthand that stuffing envelopes for money is a rip-off.
How do I do know?
As a result of a very long time in the past, I fell for the stuffing envelopes rip-off.
You see, once I was in faculty, I labored part-time ready tables. Nevertheless, despite the fact that I made good cash, between my class schedule and learning, I might solely work just a few shifts per week. So, you may think about my pleasure when I discovered a flyer on a bulletin board at college promoting envelope stuffer jobs.
The flyer claimed I might make $2.00 per envelope, all whereas working from the consolation of my residence.
I instantly began calculating what number of envelopes I might stuff in between courses and the way a lot more money I’d make per week; my life was going to be a lot simpler!
The flyer instructed me to ship them a $12.00 upfront charge for the data on tips on how to get began. I used to be so excited in regards to the alternative that I ignored the purple flags, like sending the cost to an nameless P.O. Field or the exceeding excessive pay charges for entry-level work.
I waited for weeks for the data to reach. When it lastly did, I anxiously ripped open the envelope to study that this so-called envelope-stuffing job was a pyramid rip-off.
The letter informed me to advertise the identical rip-off that I had simply fallen for by putting a need advert for envelope stuffers. Then when individuals reply to your advert, ship them the identical bogus data on tips on how to replicate the rip-off.
I used to be so disillusioned.
This was not a job. It was unethical data on tips on how to rip-off individuals out of cash. Fortunately, I solely misplaced $12.00.
Are Stuffing Envelopes Scams Nonetheless Round As we speak?
Sadly, I nonetheless come throughout this rip-off on the web and varied social media websites.
Solely now, they cost $99–$399 or extra for his or her so-called start-up equipment.
In Tory Johnson’s guide, “Will Work from House,” she exams these pretend on-line jobs with just a few totally different corporations, and none of them ever panned out. In her guide, she says: “Recruiting individuals to stuff envelopes is the oldest do business from home gimmick that fools individuals daily. Don’t be one in all them”.
Each the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) and the Higher Enterprise Bureau (BBB) have alerts on their web sites warning individuals of this rip-off. The truth is, the United States Postal Service (USPS) says that stuffing envelopes is the commonest work from home rip-off (the opposite is packing scams).
And if you consider it, why would an organization that wants envelopes stuffed use a person for this process once they can use a machine that folds, inserts, and seals 1,320 envelopes in a single hour? There is no such thing as a method a human can work that quick, and no firm goes to pay excessive {dollars} for this unskilled process.
Are There Any Official Envelope-Stuffing Jobs?
Sometimes, on websites like LinkedIn, Monster, Glassdoor, and Certainly, you’ll run into an advert for a legit envelope stuffer job. Nevertheless, it’s often an unpaid volunteer place the place you go into an workplace and assist a charity stuff envelopes for his or her fundraiser. Different occasions, you’ll see in-person job openings for receptionists, knowledge entry and mailroom clerks, and customer support representatives, the place stuffing envelopes is a small a part of their job duties. And these positions often pay $13-$15 per hour, not $2-$10 per envelope!
Usually, you’re not going to seek out do business from home jobs the place you’ll stuff envelopes as a part of your job duties, as sending huge quantities of letters, envelopes, and postage stamps to a employee’s residence can be cost-prohibitive to the employer.
What Ought to You Do if You’ve Fallen for This Rip-off?
Should you’ve fallen for this rip-off, contact your financial institution or bank card firm and have them situation a cease cost order. If the cash is already gone, you may strive contacting the corporate that you just bought the data from and request a refund. Be sure you inform them that if they don’t refund your cash, you can be contacting officers to research their operations additional.
Should you can not resolve the scenario, contact the FTC (1-877-FTC-HELP) to report the problem. You can too contact your native US Postal Inspection Service. Since these scammers are utilizing P.O. Bins to run their rip-off operations, they’ll examine these fraudulent mail practices.
What to Watch Out for When Looking for Work at House Jobs
Once you’re trying to find work from home jobs, it’s essential take your time and analysis the job alternative extensively!
Scammers know they’ll make a fast and simple buck by preying on individuals’s vulnerabilities. What I imply by vulnerabilities is when persons are struggling to make ends meet, or they should be at residence for a brand new child or aged mum or dad, there’s a sense of urgency, and these scammers know this. So that they create their advertisements to attraction to those feelings.
The second motive scams are so prevalent is know-how has made it straightforward than ever to distribute scams whereas hiding behind a digital curtain.
For these causes, it’s extra necessary than ever so that you can educate your self on what’s legit and what’s not.
Listed here are some purple flags job seekers have to be careful for:
- Destructive opinions.
- No contact data — scammers don’t need to be discovered.
- Obscure job descriptions.
- Outrageous earnings claims with little or no effort in your half.
- Strain to behave shortly.
- Unsolicited job gives.
- Poor spelling and grammar.
- Interviews by way of messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Messenger.
- Imposter scams – pretend corporations posing as actual corporations utilizing free electronic mail addresses like Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail.
- If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.
Actual-Life Work From House Jobs to Discover
Should you’re an aspiring envelope stuffer, you’re seemingly disillusioned that this isn’t a legit job. Nevertheless, there are a lot of different official do business from home jobs price exploring.
1. Knowledge Entry Clerk
Turning into a distant knowledge entry operator could be your calling if you happen to’re a quick and correct typist with wonderful written communication expertise. You’ll confirm and enter knowledge into spreadsheets and on-line databases in these roles. You might also be assigned different clerical duties like answering emails and on-line analysis.
To search out do business from home knowledge entry jobs, try:
2. Graphic Designer
Should you’re expert at utilizing packages like Adobe Photoshop or Canva, you may create gadgets like logos, gross sales letters, enterprise playing cards, labels, printables, and different promotional supplies. As a graphic designer, you are able to do freelance work on a project-by-project foundation or apply for full-time jobs. In line with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the typical hourly charge for a graphic designer is $27.88 per hour.
Try these on-line job boards for graphic design jobs:
3. On-line Tutor
You probably have experience in a subject like math, English, biology, or nursing, you may be capable to make more money tutoring college students on-line. There are tons of on-line platforms that join college students to lecturers in all kinds of topics. Tutoring gigs are likely to have versatile work hours, and most gigs are unbiased contracting roles. To begin working as a tutor, you need to show your experience by taking a preliminary examination or submitting the suitable documentation.
You will discover on-line tutoring jobs at:
4. Transcriptionist
Transcribers hearken to audio recordsdata and transcribe (sort) them into written paperwork. Transcription jobs are typically unbiased contracting positions and require fast and correct typing expertise, wonderful listening expertise, and a strong grasp of the English language. The great factor about these positions is they provide versatile scheduling, and you’ll often tackle as a lot or as little as you may deal with.
You will discover on-line transcription jobs at:
5. Digital Assistant Jobs
Digital assistants, VA for brief, are expert professionals who deal with all kinds of administrative duties based mostly on the shopper’s wants. Duties could embody scheduling, calendar upkeep, knowledge entry, writing, enhancing, reserving journey, advertising, and extra. Digital assistants have to be detail-oriented, have wonderful communication expertise, and be wonderful time handlers.
If this feels like a dream job, try:
Discovering Official Options to Stuffing Envelopes
Should you’re nonetheless feeling uneasy about your work from home job search — try the paid membership web site, FlexJobs. Each single job listed on their web site is hand-screened for legitimacy. So while you apply, you may relaxation assured that you just’re not going to fall prey to a do business from home rip-off. Not solely does FlexJobs have an A+ score with the Higher Enterprise Bureau, however in addition they provide a money-back assure if you happen to’re not happy.
Need extra legit do business from home job leads? Join my free publication, the place I ship out new vetted distant job leads twice per week.
Have you ever encountered the stuffing envelopes rip-off? What different fraudulent alternatives have you ever come throughout?
Initially revealed on March 31, 2009. Content material up to date December 2023.
