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? A very long time in the past, I fell sufferer to the rip-off of stuffing envelopes.
You see, after 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’ll be able to think about my pleasure when I discovered a flyer on a bulletin board in school 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 price for the knowledge on methods to get began. I used to be so excited in regards to 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 knowledge 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 putting a need advert for envelope stuffers. Then, when folks reply to your advert, ship them the identical bogus data on methods to replicate the rip-off.
I used to be so dissatisfied.
This was not a job. It was unethical data on methods to rip-off folks out of cash. Fortunately, I solely misplaced $12.00.
Is the Stuffing Envelopes Rip-off Nonetheless Round As we speak?
Sadly, I nonetheless see scams associated to stuffing envelopes on the web and varied social media websites, besides the price for this bogus data is often $50-$150! This previous 12 months, the rip-off has developed into the “letter writing” facet hustle, the place you’ll be able to supposedly earn $5 for every handwritten letter you write to firms.
With this letter-writing scheme, they entice folks with massive earnings for little to no work, however to get the knowledge on how to do that, you have to purchase a pricey course. The knowledge then particulars methods to write handwritten letters to casinos to earn as much as $5 in on line casino credit. The credit that you simply earn aren’t money; they’re credit that you need to use to gamble on-line, and everyone knows playing is just not a dependable option to earn cash.
So why are so many individuals on social media selling this letter-writing gig as a authentic alternative? As a result of they’re associates for the course, they usually make cash every time, somebody purchases the course from them. It’s similar to the rip-off of stuffing envelopes, so don’t fall for this fraud!
In Tory Johnson’s guide, “Will Work from Home,” she checks these faux on-line jobs with a number of totally different firms, and none of them ever panned out. In her guide, she says: “Recruiting folks to stuff envelopes is the oldest earn a living from home gimmick that fools folks day by day. Don’t be one in all them”.
Each the Federal Commerce Fee (FTC) and the Better Business Bureau (BBB) have alerts on their web sites warning folks of this rip-off. In actual fact, 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 job once they can use a machine that folds, inserts, and seals 1,320 envelopes in a single hour? There isn’t a means a human can work that quick, and no firm can pay excessive {dollars} for this unskilled job.
Are There Any Reliable Envelope-Stuffing Jobs?
Sometimes, 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 service representatives, the place stuffing envelopes is a small a part of their job duties. And these positions often pay $13-$20 per hour, not $2-$10 per envelope!
On the whole, you’re not going to seek 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?
If you happen to’ve fallen for this rip-off, contact your financial institution or bank card firm and have them difficulty a cease fee order. If the cash is already gone, you’ll be able to strive contacting the corporate from which you bought the knowledge and request a refund. You should definitely inform them that if they don’t refund your cash, you’ll contact officers to research their operations additional.
If you happen to can not resolve the state of affairs, contact the FTC (1-877-FTC-HELP) to report the problem. It’s also possible to contact your native US Postal Inspection Service. Since these scammers are utilizing P.O. Packing containers to run their rip-off operations, they are going to examine these fraudulent mail practices.
What to Watch Out for When Trying to find Work at Residence Jobs
Whenever you’re trying to find work at home jobs, it’s good to take your time and analysis the job alternative extensively!
Scammers know they’ll make a fast and simple buck by preying on folks’s vulnerabilities. What I imply by vulnerabilities is when folks wrestle to make ends meet, or they must be at dwelling for a brand new child or aged guardian, there’s a sense of urgency and desperation, and these scammers know this. So, they create their faux job listings to enchantment to those feelings.
The second motive scams are so prevalent is know-how 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:
- Detrimental evaluations and complaints on-line.
- No contact data (bodily deal with, telephone quantity, or e-mail deal with) — scammers don’t need to be discovered.
- Imprecise job descriptions.
- Massive cash claims with little or no effort in your half.
- Strain to behave shortly.
- Unsolicited job gives.
- Poor spelling, punctuation, and grammar.
- Interviews by way of messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Sign, and Messenger.
- Imposter scams – faux firms posing as actual firms utilizing free e-mail addresses like Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, and Hotmail.
- If it sounds too good to be true, it in all probability is.
Actual-Life Work From Residence Jobs to Discover
If you happen to’re an aspiring envelope stuffer, you’re probably dissatisfied that stuffing envelopes isn’t legit. Nonetheless, there are a lot of different authentic earn a living from home jobs price exploring.
1. Knowledge Entry Clerk
Turning into a distant data entry operator is likely to be your calling in case 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 might also be assigned different clerical duties like answering emails and on-line analysis.
To seek out authentic firms with distant job listings, try:
2. Graphic Designer
If you happen to’re expert at utilizing packages like Adobe Photoshop or Canva, you’ll be able to 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 keeping with the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the typical hourly fee for a graphic designer is $31.11 per hour.
Take a look at these on-line job boards for graphic design jobs:
3. On-line Tutor
When you have experience in a subject like math, English, biology, or nursing, you may be capable of make extra 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 have to show your experience by taking a preliminary examination or submitting the suitable documentation.
Yow will discover on-line tutoring jobs at:
4. Transcriptionist
Transcribers take heed to audio recordsdata and transcribe (sort) them into written paperwork. Transcription jobs are usually unbiased contracting positions and require fast and correct typing abilities, wonderful listening abilities, 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’ll be able to deal with.
Yow will discover on-line transcription jobs at:
5. Digital Assistant Jobs
Virtual 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, modifying, 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, try:
6. Methods to Make Further Money
If you wish to make a bit cash in your spare time, contemplate brief job gigs, the place you’ll be able to work on tasks like AI coaching, translation, inventive writing, paid surveys, search engine analysis, and extra!
For 1099 firms to discover, try:
Reliable Alternate options to Stuffing Envelopes
If you happen to’re nonetheless feeling uneasy about your work from home job search—try the paid membership website FlexJobs. Each single job listed on their web site is hand-screened for legitimacy. So, once you apply, you’ll be able to relaxation assured that you simply gained’t 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 in case you’re not happy.
Need extra legit earn a living from home job leads? Join my free newsletter, 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 printed on March 31, 2009. Content material up to date December 2024.
