Is Stuffing Envelopes a Legit Work From Home Job?

It’s fairly astonishing that scammers are nonetheless selling stuffing envelopes as a legit earn a living from home job.

I can inform you 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, despite the fact that I made good cash, between my class schedule and finding out, I might solely work a couple 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 might make $2.00 per envelope, all whereas working from the consolation of my house. 

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 knowledge on the best way to get began. I used to be so excited concerning the alternative that I ignored 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 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 data on the best way to replicate the rip-off. 

I used to be so disenchanted. 

This was not a job. It was unethical data on the best way 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 e book, “Will Work from Dwelling,” she checks these faux on-line jobs with a couple 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 earn a living from home gimmick that fools individuals each day. Don’t be one in all 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 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 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 a method a human can work that quick, and no firm goes to pay excessive {dollars} for this unskilled job. 

Are There Any Reputable 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 instances, 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 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 house can 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 situation a cease fee order. If the cash is already gone, you’ll be able to attempt contacting the corporate that you simply bought the knowledge from and request a refund. Make 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 scenario, contact the FTC (1-877-FTC-HELP) to report the difficulty. It’s also possible to contact your native US Postal Inspection Service. Since these scammers are utilizing P.O. Containers to run their rip-off operations, they’ll examine these fraudulent mail practices.

What to Watch Out for When Looking for Work at Dwelling Jobs

If you’re trying to find work from home jobs, you should 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 have to be at house for a brand new child or aged father or mother, there’s a sense of urgency, and these scammers know this. So that they create their adverts to enchantment 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 essential than ever so that you can educate your self on what’s legit and what’s not.

Listed below are some pink flags job seekers must be careful for:

1. Damaging evaluations.
2. No contact data — scammers don’t wish to be discovered.
3. Imprecise job descriptions.
4. Outrageous earnings claims with little or no effort in your half.
5. Strain to behave shortly. 
6. Unsolicited job affords.
7. Poor spelling and grammar.
8. Interviews through messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Messenger.
9. Imposter scams – faux corporations posing as actual corporations utilizing free e-mail addresses like Gmail, Yahoo, iCloud, and Hotmail. 
10. If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is.

Actual-Life Work From Dwelling Jobs to Discover

For those who’re an aspiring envelope stuffer, you’re seemingly disenchanted that this isn’t a legit job. Nonetheless, there are lots of different official earn a living from home jobs price exploring. 

1. Information Entry Clerk

Changing into a distant information entry operator may be 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 earn a living from home information entry jobs, try:

2. Graphic Designer

For those who’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 response to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the common 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

When you’ve got experience in a subject like math, English, biology, or nursing, you would possibly be capable to 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 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. 

You could find on-line tutoring jobs at: 

4. Transcriptionist 

Transcribers take heed to audio information 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 stable 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. 

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 based mostly on the consumer’s wants. Duties might embody scheduling, calendar upkeep, information entry, writing, modifying, reserving journey, advertising, and extra. Digital assistants have to be detail-oriented, have wonderful communication abilities, and be wonderful time handlers. 

If this appears like a dream job, try: 

Discovering Reputable Options to Stuffing Envelopes

For those who’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 if you apply, you’ll be able to relaxation assured that you simply’re not going to fall prey to a earn a living from home rip-off. Not solely does FlexJobs have an A+ score with the Higher Enterprise Bureau, however additionally they provide a money-back assure when you’re not glad.

Need extra legit earn a living from home job leads? Join my free e-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 2023.