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. Nonetheless, regardless that I made good cash, between my class schedule and learning, I may solely work a number 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 lessons 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 payment for the data on learn how to get began. I used to be so excited concerning the alternative that I missed the pink flags, like sending the fee 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 info on learn how to replicate the rip-off.
I used to be so disillusioned.
This was not a job. It was unethical info on learn 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 varied social media websites.
Solely now, they cost $99–$399 or extra for his or her so-called start-up package.
In Tory Johnson’s e-book, “Will Work from Residence,” she assessments these faux on-line jobs with a number of completely different corporations, and none of them ever panned out. In her e-book, she says: “Recruiting individuals to stuff envelopes is the oldest do business from home gimmick that fools individuals daily. Don’t be one among 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 activity after 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 activity.
Are There Any Reliable 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 normally 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, information entry and mailroom clerks, and customer support representatives, the place stuffing envelopes is a small a part of their job duties. And these positions normally pay $13-$15 per hour, not $2-$10 per envelope!
Typically, you’re not going to search 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 dwelling could be cost-prohibitive to the employer.
What Ought to You Do if You’ve Fallen for This Rip-off?
In case you’ve fallen for this rip-off, contact your financial institution or bank card firm and have them situation a cease fee 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. Make sure to inform them that if they don’t refund your cash, you can be contacting officers to analyze their operations additional.
In case you can’t resolve the state of affairs, contact the FTC (1-877-FTC-HELP) to report the problem. You can even 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 Looking for Work at Residence Jobs
Once you’re looking for work from home jobs, you want to take your time and analysis the job alternative extensively!
Scammers know they will make a fast and simple buck by preying on individuals’s vulnerabilities. What I imply by vulnerabilities is when individuals are struggling to make ends meet, or they should be at dwelling for a brand new child or aged mother or father, there’s a sense of urgency, and these scammers know this. In order that they create their adverts to attraction to those feelings.
The second motive scams are so prevalent is expertise has made it simpler 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 must be careful for:
- Destructive opinions.
- No contact info — scammers don’t need to be discovered.
- Obscure job descriptions.
- Outrageous earnings claims with little or no effort in your half.
- Strain to behave rapidly.
- Unsolicited job provides.
- 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 e mail addresses like Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, and Hotmail.
- If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.
Actual-Life Work From Residence Jobs to Discover
In case you’re an aspiring envelope stuffer, you’re possible disillusioned that this isn’t a legit job. Nonetheless, there are numerous different reputable do business from home jobs value exploring.
1. Knowledge Entry Clerk
Turning into a distant information entry operator is perhaps your calling when you’re a quick and correct typist with wonderful written communication abilities. You’ll confirm and enter information 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 seek out do business from home information entry jobs, take a look at:
2. Graphic Designer
In case you’re expert at utilizing applications 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.
Take a look at these on-line job boards for graphic design jobs:
3. On-line Tutor
If in case you have experience in a topic like math, English, biology, or nursing, you would possibly have the ability to make more money tutoring college students on-line. There are tons of on-line platforms that join college students to academics in all kinds of topics. Tutoring gigs are likely to have versatile work hours, and most gigs are unbiased contracting roles. To start out working as a tutor, you will need to show your experience by taking a preliminary examination or submitting the suitable documentation.
You’ll find on-line tutoring jobs at:
4. Transcriptionist
Transcribers take heed to audio information and transcribe (sort) them into written paperwork. Transcription jobs are typically unbiased contracting positions and require fast and correct typing abilities, wonderful listening abilities, and a stable grasp of the English language. The great factor about these positions is they provide versatile scheduling, and you may normally tackle as a lot or as little as you possibly can deal with.
You’ll find 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 consumer’s wants. Duties might embrace scheduling, calendar upkeep, information entry, writing, enhancing, reserving journey, advertising and marketing, and extra. Digital assistants have to be detail-oriented, have wonderful communication abilities, and be wonderful time handlers.
If this seems like a dream job, take a look at:
Discovering Reliable Options to Stuffing Envelopes
In case you’re nonetheless feeling uneasy about your work from home job search — take a look at the paid membership web site, FlexJobs. Each single job listed on their web site is hand-screened for legitimacy. So while you apply, you possibly can 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 when you’re not glad.
Need extra legit do business from home job leads? Join my free e-newsletter, 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.