It’s fairly astonishing that scammers are nonetheless selling stuffing envelopes as a legit make money working 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, though I made good cash, between my class schedule and finding out, I might solely work just a few shifts per week. So, you possibly can think about my pleasure when I discovered a flyer on a bulletin board in school 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 extra cash 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 ignored the crimson 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 be taught 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 folks reply to your advert, ship them the identical bogus data on find out how to replicate the rip-off.
I used to be so disillusioned.
This was not a job. It was unethical data on find out how to rip-off folks 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 numerous 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 Dwelling,” she checks these faux on-line jobs with just a few completely different corporations, and none of them ever panned out. In her guide, she says: “Recruiting folks to stuff envelopes is the oldest make money working from home gimmick that fools folks day-after-day. Don’t be considered one of them”.
Each the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) and the Higher Enterprise Bureau (BBB) have alerts on their web sites warning folks 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 concentrate on it, why would an organization that wants envelopes stuffed use a person for this job after they can use a machine that folds, inserts, and seals 1,320 envelopes in a single hour? There isn’t any approach a human can work that quick, and no firm goes to pay excessive {dollars} for this unskilled job.
Are There Any Legit 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 make money working 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 residence could be cost-prohibitive to the employer.
What Ought to You Do if You’ve Fallen for This Rip-off?
In the event you’ve fallen for this rip-off, contact your financial institution or bank card firm and have them concern 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. You should definitely inform them that if they don’t refund your cash, you can be contacting officers to research their operations additional.
In the event you can’t resolve the state of affairs, contact the FTC (1-877-FTC-HELP) to report the problem. You may also contact your native US Postal Inspection Service. Since these scammers are utilizing P.O. Packing containers to run their rip-off operations, they’ll examine these fraudulent mail practices.
What to Watch Out for When Trying to find Work at Dwelling Jobs
Whenever you’re trying to find work from home jobs, that you must take your time and analysis the job alternative extensively!
Scammers know they will make a fast and simple buck by preying on folks’s vulnerabilities. What I imply by vulnerabilities is when individuals are struggling to make ends meet, or they must be at residence 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 enchantment to those feelings.
The second motive scams are so prevalent is expertise 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 below are some crimson flags job seekers must be careful for:
- Destructive evaluations.
- No contact data — scammers don’t wish to be discovered.
- Imprecise job descriptions.
- Outrageous revenue claims with little or no effort in your half.
- Strain to behave shortly.
- Unsolicited job presents.
- Poor spelling and grammar.
- Interviews through 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 most likely is.
Actual-Life Work From Dwelling Jobs to Discover
In the event you’re an aspiring envelope stuffer, you’re probably disillusioned that this isn’t a legit job. Nonetheless, there are lots of different official make money working from home jobs value exploring.
1. Knowledge Entry Clerk
Changing into a distant knowledge entry operator may be your calling when you’re a quick and correct typist with glorious written communication abilities. 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 seek out make money working from home knowledge entry jobs, try:
2. Graphic Designer
In the event you’re expert at utilizing packages like Adobe Photoshop or Canva, you possibly can 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 response to 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
If in case you have experience in an issue like math, English, biology, or nursing, you would possibly be capable of make extra cash 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 begin working as a tutor, you have to show your experience by taking a preliminary examination or submitting the suitable documentation.
You could find on-line tutoring jobs at:
4. Transcriptionist
Transcribers hearken to audio information and transcribe (sort) them into written paperwork. Transcription jobs are usually impartial contracting positions and require fast and correct typing abilities, glorious listening abilities, and a stable 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.
You could 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 primarily based on the consumer’s wants. Duties might embody scheduling, calendar upkeep, knowledge entry, writing, enhancing, reserving journey, advertising and marketing, and extra. Digital assistants have to be detail-oriented, have glorious communication abilities, and be glorious time handlers.
If this seems like a dream job, try:
Discovering Legit Alternate options to Stuffing Envelopes
In the event 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 once you apply, you possibly can relaxation assured that you just’re not going to fall prey to a make money working 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 happy.
Need extra legit make money working from home job leads? Join my free publication, the place I ship out new vetted distant job leads twice every 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.