Envelope Stuffing Scam

"Real home mailing jobs! Work at home & get paid up to $1927.00 every week! All materials supplied. Guaranteed weekly paycheck!"

Sound familiar? Ads for envelope stuffing are everywhere. Promoters promise that for a small fee they will tell you how to earn large sums of money from stuffing envelopes at home. They say they will pay you a certain amount of money for each envelope filled, resulting in hundreds or thousands of dollars for you each week.

This will NOT happen. Envelope stuffing programs are scams. ALL of them. No exceptions.

You see, they are not telling you the whole story. This is what really happens: You pay a "registration fee" usually around $30 - $50. which is pure profit for the scam operator. They will then send you a copy of the original ad you replied to, along with another classified ad telling people about how much money they can make from stuffing envelopes and to send a SASE for the information. You are not in fact getting paid to stuff envelopes; instead you are sending out promotional materials to recruit others to send the scam operators their money so you can get paid (like a commission). The cycle is complete when other people are scammed into sending in money like you were, except this time you are the person sending them the offer.

If you are tempted by an envelope stuffing "opportunity," here are some questions to ask the promoters before you send any money or sign up to receive more information:

• Who will pay me?
• When will I get my first paycheck?
• Will I be paid a salary or will my pay be based on commission?
• What tasks will I have to perform?
• What is the total cost of the envelope stuffing program, including supplies, equipment and membership fees?
• What will I get for my money?

The Federal Trade Commission actually actively prosecutes large envelope-stuffing schemes, and so far it has leveled charges against 77 work-at-home schemes in 17 states. Many of these schemes were envelope-stuffing operations.

If you have spent money and time on a work-at-home program and now believe the program may not be legitimate, contact the company and ask for a refund. Let company representatives know that you plan to notify officials about your experience. If you can't resolve the dispute with the company, file a complaint with these organizations:

• The Federal Trade Commission works for the consumer to prevent fraud and deception. Call 1-877-FTC-HELP
  (1-877-382-4357) or log on to www.ftc.gov.
• The Arizona Attorney General's Office at 602-542-5763 or 1-800-352-8431
• Your local consumer protection offices.
• Your local Better Business Bureau.
• Your local postmaster. The U.S. Postal Service investigates fraudulent mail practices.
• The advertising manager of the publication that ran the ad. The manager may be interested to learn about the problems you've had with the company.