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and to send a self-addressed stamped envelope for information. When you receive someone’s envelope, you send them a copy of the ad. You have just “stuffed an envelope.” If the person sends in the registration fee to the operator (like you did), the operator will send you $1 (or whatever was promised in the ad) for “stuffing the envelope.” The operator is left with a profit of $23. Based on typical marketing statis- tics, you’d have to pay postage for 200 envelopes to get 1 paid response. So at current first-class rates, you pay almost $100 in postage to receive $1-2 in return. Not a very good business investment for you.
Medical Billing Centers . You send money for software to run a bill collection service from your home. The scam artists promise that the “market is wide open” and they have “lined up” clients for you. In reality, you stand to lose your entire $2,000 to $8,000 investment. The software is only an assortment of forms and collection letters that anyone could design. The names of companies they send you are not clients; they are just names and addresses that have been pulled from the phone book.
Assembly or Craft Work . You send money for supplies to assemble products such as aprons, baby clothes, jewelry, or Christmas decorations. Sometimes you must buy the equipment from the promoter. You’re told that there is a ready market for the products or that the company will buy the products from you. The catch? Your items never meet “quality standards” so you end up having to sell the items yourself.
Business Opportunities . You send money for information about starting a business from your home. The details are vague but the promises are big and include claims that “we will provide all the train- ing you need.” The catch? The fraudulent salespersons will constantly try to sell you more information about special “training and support systems” and “your personal coach.” Anyone who really had business ideas as good as these claim to be would never offer this information to thousands of strangers.
Creating Extra Income