It’s fairly astonishing that scammers are nonetheless selling stuffing envelopes as a legit earn a living 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 school, I labored part-time ready tables. Nonetheless, regardless that I made good cash, between my class schedule and finding out, I may solely work a couple of shifts per week. So, you possibly can think about my pleasure when I discovered a flyer on a bulletin board at college promoting envelope stuffer jobs.
The flyer claimed I may make $2.00 per envelope, all whereas working from the consolation of my dwelling.
I instantly began calculating what number of envelopes I may 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 find out how to get began. I used to be so excited concerning the alternative that I missed the pink 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 advised me to advertise the identical rip-off that I had simply fallen for by inserting a need advert for envelope stuffers. Then when individuals reply to your advert, ship them the identical bogus info on find out how to replicate the rip-off.
I used to be so dissatisfied.
This was not a job. It was unethical info on find out how to rip-off individuals out of cash. Fortunately, I solely misplaced $12.00.
Are Stuffing Envelopes Scams Nonetheless Round Right now?
Sadly, I nonetheless come throughout this rip-off on the web and numerous social media websites.
Solely now, they cost $99–$399 or extra for his or her so-called start-up package.
In Tory Johnson’s ebook, “Will Work from Residence,” she assessments these faux on-line jobs with a couple of completely different corporations, and none of them ever panned out. In her ebook, she says: “Recruiting individuals to stuff envelopes is the oldest earn a living from home gimmick that fools individuals day-after-day. Don’t be certainly one of 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. In truth, the United States Postal Service (USPS) says that stuffing envelopes is the most typical 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 job 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 means a human can work that quick, and no firm goes to pay excessive {dollars} for this unskilled job.
Are There Any Official Envelope-Stuffing Jobs?
Often, on websites like LinkedIn, Monster, Glassdoor, and Certainly, you’ll run into an advert for a legit envelope stuffer job. Nonetheless, 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!
Typically, you’re not going to search out earn a living from home jobs the place you’ll stuff envelopes as a part of your job duties, as sending large quantities of letters, envelopes, and postage stamps to a employee’s dwelling could be cost-prohibitive to the employer.
What Ought to You Do if You’ve Fallen for This Rip-off?
For those who’ve fallen for this rip-off, contact your financial institution or bank card firm and have them challenge a cease cost order. If the cash is already gone, you possibly can attempt 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 may be contacting officers to research their operations additional.
For those who can’t resolve the state of affairs, contact the FTC (1-877-FTC-HELP) to report the difficulty. You may as well contact your native US Postal Inspection Service. Since these scammers are utilizing P.O. Containers to run their rip-off operations, they may examine these fraudulent mail practices.
What to Watch Out for When Trying to find Work at Residence Jobs
If you’re trying to find work from home jobs, it’s good to take your time and analysis the job alternative extensively!
Scammers know they’ll make a fast and straightforward buck by preying on individuals’s vulnerabilities. What I imply by vulnerabilities is when persons are struggling to make ends meet, or they must be at dwelling 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 enchantment to those feelings.
The second cause 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 pink flags job seekers have to be careful for:
- Adverse critiques.
- No contact info — scammers don’t wish to be discovered.
- Imprecise job descriptions.
- Outrageous revenue claims with little or no effort in your half.
- Strain to behave rapidly.
- Unsolicited job presents.
- Poor spelling and grammar.
- Interviews by way of messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Messenger.
- Imposter scams – faux corporations posing as actual corporations utilizing free electronic mail addresses like Gmail, Yahoo, and Hotmail.
- If it sounds too good to be true, it in all probability is.
Actual-Life Work From Residence Jobs to Discover
For those who’re an aspiring envelope stuffer, you’re possible dissatisfied that this isn’t a legit job. Nonetheless, there are numerous different reputable earn a living from home jobs price exploring.
1. Information Entry Clerk
Changing into a distant knowledge entry operator could be your calling should you’re a quick and correct typist with wonderful written communication abilities. You’ll confirm and enter knowledge into spreadsheets and on-line databases in these roles. You may additionally be assigned different clerical duties like answering emails and on-line analysis.
To seek out earn a living from home knowledge entry jobs, take a look at:
2. Graphic Designer
For those who’re expert at utilizing packages like Adobe Photoshop or Canva, you possibly can create objects 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 price for a graphic designer is $27.88 per hour.
Try these on-line job boards for graphic design jobs:
3. On-line Tutor
When you have experience in an issue 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 impartial contracting roles. To start out working as a tutor, you should show your experience by taking a preliminary examination or submitting the suitable documentation.
Yow 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 impartial contracting positions and require fast and correct typing abilities, wonderful listening abilities, and a strong grasp of the English language. The good factor about these positions is they provide versatile scheduling, and you may often tackle as a lot or as little as you possibly can deal with.
Yow 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 primarily based on the consumer’s wants. Duties might embrace scheduling, calendar upkeep, knowledge entry, writing, modifying, reserving journey, advertising and marketing, and extra. Digital assistants should be detail-oriented, have wonderful communication abilities, and be wonderful time handlers.
If this appears like a dream job, take a look at:
Discovering Official Alternate options to Stuffing Envelopes
For those who’re nonetheless feeling uneasy about your work from home job search — take a look at the paid membership website, FlexJobs. Each single job listed on their web site is hand-screened for legitimacy. So if you apply, you possibly can relaxation assured that you just’re not going to fall prey to a earn a living from home rip-off. Not solely does FlexJobs have an A+ ranking with the Higher Enterprise Bureau, however additionally they provide a money-back assure should you’re not glad.
Need extra legit earn a living 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.