Fraudulent
Work- At- Home Schemes
You see ads, or are deluged by e-mail, promoting the ease and
joy of working at home.
MAKE EXTRA CASH AT HOME!
***WIDE SELECTION OF JOBS . . . TOP PAY***
****WORK IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR OWN HOME****
**REAL JOBS WITH REAL COMPANIES**
"Every day thousands of people just like you are getting
started working at home in the fields of computer work, sewing,
assembling products, crafts, processing coupons, typing, telephone
work and much more!"
"Home workers are regular ordinary people who earn an
excellent living working at their own pace and their own hours.
They are fortunate people who have found an easier way to make
a living. They had absolutely no prior experience in this field.
They earn several hundred dollars weekly in the comfort of their
own home and you can be next!"
"Companies all over the country want to hire you as an
independent home worker."
"The companies in our guide are legitimate and really
need home workers. There are over one hundred of the top companies
included in our guide offering an opportunity for you to make
extra income at home."
"You are guaranteed to find home based work in our guide.
No Problem!"
"We've helped thousands of people like yourself get started
working at home. You can be next!"
THINK
WHAT AN EXTRA $300, $700 OR MORE A WEEK COULD DO FOR YOU!
LET
US HEAR FROM YOU TODAY!
THIS
COULD EASILY CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER!
DON’T
LET THIS EXTRAORDINARY OPPORTUNITY PASS!!
THESE
OPPORTUNITIES ARE PROFITABLE AND EASY . . . ACT NOW!!!!!!
EARN $200-$1,000 WEEKLY!
Assembling products at home.
Call toll-free 1-(800)574-9635 ext. 150.
You call the 800 telephone number listed in the ad and speak with
a sales rep who describes their work-at-home job program.
The conversation goes something like this:
"We specialize and are very successful in giving current
data on companies who are looking for home workers. Right now,
we have over 100 companies working with us that offer jobs of
assembly, arts and crafts, sales, professional services and electronics
work".
"So my chances are pretty good then?"
"We guarantee that you will get a job. They will not reject
you for any reason."
"What are they like to work for?"
"We check on all the companies to make sure that they
are safe, legitimate companies for you to work for and if you
have any problems or any questions at all, we have a customer
service person who handles everything"
"What type of work will I be doing?"
"The first thing that you’ll be receiving is a portfolio
of all of our companies, their pay scales and the things you
can assemble. That’s so you can pick out your job because
there are about 85 different jobs for you to choose from and
you are guaranteed any of those jobs."
"What does all this cost?"
"We do have a one-time, lifetime enrollment fee of only
$38.95. Now, that enrollment fee is backed with a 90-day money
back guarantee. All we ask is that you participate in the program
for 60 days."
"Is that all?"
"Right. The only fee you pay, is to us, for the enrollment."
"What kind of money can I make?"
"These are just a few of over 70 guaranteed home jobs."
 |
assembling wooden calendars
for $252 a week, |
|
making towel holders for $306
a week, |
|
assembling electronic circuit
boards for $500 a week, |
|
making hair bows for $300 a
week, |
|
making beaded earrings for $360
a week, |
|
or assembling holiday decorations
for $600 a week. |
So you send in your money and receive only a thin pamphlet listing
the name and address of approximately 80 companies, along with
a brief description of the assembly projects each company is purportedly
offering. It is entirely up to you to contact each company you
are interested in for more information. In most instances, you
must also send each company an additional $30-$40 in order to receive
a "start-up kit".
Dismayed, you seek a refund but in order to get your money back,
you must send them a proof of purchase date, a copy of the purchase
receipt, the name and telephone number of two contacts made using
the pamphlet, a copy of one application form you completed by using
the pamphlet, and a statement of your actions resulting from using
the pamphlet, all after sixty days.
You are lured into this type of fraud by the promise of high pay,
earned while working in the comfort of your home. You may be required
to eventually purchase materials, equipment and training—at
high prices ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars—from
the fraud perpetrator, or his referrals, in order to assemble your
work products.
Some "earn money at home" offers are intended to sell
appliances such as a sewing or sign-making machine from the company.
Others offer "assembly work" but require payment for
instructions and assembly kits. These advertisers sell the materials
and kits to make such articles as ties, baby shoes, etc.
You are urged to purchase the materials needed to complete the
job, based on a promise that once the product is assembled, they
will buy it back from you and sell it to a well-known retail chain.
Respondents to these offers must sign a contract which obligates
you to buy a machine or materials, but which does not obligate
the seller in any manner.
You invest, but they never buy the product back from you, often
closing shop and moving on to a new location. You are left with
products for which there is no market and little opportunity to
recoup your investment.
The kit seller may or may not offer or guarantee to buy back or
pay for the finished product but may initially ask you for a sample
of your work which demonstrates your skill, plus a small registration
and evaluation fee. Then they refuse to pay for your work because
it doesn’t meet "quality standards".
Unfortunately, no work is ever "up to standard," leaving
you with overpriced equipment and supplies, and no income. To sell
your goods, you must find your own customers.
"Steady income for minimal labor - earn $2 each
time you fold a brochure and seal it in an envelope! Send $20
for more details."
Envelope-stuffing frauds usually begin with such an ad in the
Business Opportunities section of a newspaper or magazine. The
headline usually jumps out at you.
"We'll pay you 25 cents for each envelope you
stuff and return to us" "Earn $250 for stuffing 1,000
envelopes while watching TV."
Such advertisements are deceptive and misleading and should simply
be ignored or reported to authorities. When you respond to their
earn-money stuffing-envelope pitch you envision that the company
making the offer will send you brochures which you will fold, stuff
into envelopes, seal and return to the company for which you will
receive payment of 25 cents each.
But that's not the way the scheme works. In order to receive any
information you will have to send them some sort of initial non-returnable
payment, usually between $10 and $25. By return mail you receive
some information and an agreement form which you are asked to read
and sign.
The information packet starts with their suggestion that you place
an ad in your local newspaper which reads: "Address and Mail
commission circulars at home and be flooded with offers. For offer
and details rush stamped, self-addressed envelope and 25 cents
service fee" to a particular address. Here you are asked to
insert your name. You are also expected to pay for the classified
ad.
When work-hungry consumers in your area read your ad and respond,
you "stuff" the self-addressed envelope your victims
sent to you into a larger envelope and return it to the company.
As promised, they let you keep the enclosed 25 cents for each one
you send, as payment, but you must pay the postage for anything
you send to them.
So in order to make any money yourself you must pay for classified
ads and bilk more consumers out of a quarter, a stamp and the time
they spent responding to your advertisement. Envelope stuffing
schemes are essentially pyramid schemes or chain letters combined
with a "how-to" element.
These ads are targeting housebound people of limited means, such
as mothers with young children and the disabled who find the convenience
of working out of the house very attractive.
One con who charged from $10 to $45 for info on how to earn good
money working at home, stuffing envelopes and stapling booklets,
managed to defraud about $200,000 from thousands of people from
around the country.
Being charged in a criminal information with two counts of mail
fraud means he has waived indictment by a federal grand jury. A
criminal information is considered the prelude to a guilty plea.
People who requested refunds got either no response or checks that
bounced.
Product testing frauds usually begin when you receive a handsome
brochure showing dozens of products and a sales pitch asking you
to enroll as a product evaluator. The cost for postage and handling
is purported to cost from $5 to $9 and you get to keep the hundreds
of gift products you receive for testing. There is usually some
sort of enrollment fee ranging from $10 to $25 dollars.
Many consumers never receive a response after sending their enrollment
check. They are the lucky ones. Those who are enrolled and request
products for testing may end up paying hundreds of dollars in postage
and handling for items worth far less than the fees.
You respond to an ad which claims you can make a potential $30,000
per year reading books at home. The ads indicate that all you have
to do is ask for a list from which you pick a book, submit a report
and then get paid right away.
You send along your one time fee of $57 and what they send you
back is a listing book of publishers, without even contact addresses.
After tracking down several publishers, you discover from them
that publishers don’t hire people for this purpose sight
unseen and certainly not without prior experience and proper educational
or vocational background.
You respond to an ad which proclaims:
"PC Users - do overflow work and earn $14/hr
with Data Entry and Word Processing from the comfort of your
home!"
They indicate there is a money back guarantee after 90 days so
you send off your $65.
In return you receive a disk containing generic information on
running a business and a list of 500 business names around the
country. You attempt to contact the ones that are still in business
and determine that while some require actual visits to the distant
office, most pay an amount per entry which works out to only about
$2 per hour.
You remember after 90 days to call for a refund but the line has
been disconnected. Behind the scenes, the business has once again
changed names and phone numbers and continued on with its nationwide
advertising, knowing that their victims seldom make a fuss over
the small amount they have lost to this deception.
The Reality of Work-at-Home Offers
"Earn hundreds in your spare time!"
"Our people have come from all walks of life and succeed with no special
training!"
"The market for your work already exists - this huge, untapped market is
waiting for you! Order Now!"
"Only $29.95 will bring you thousands in earning power!"
"Profits will start rolling in with your first completed item!"
"Popular demand will force us to raise our rates soon!"
Legitimate work-at-home program sponsors should tell you —in
writing and for free —what’s involved. Here are some
questions you might ask a potential employer:
|
What tasks will I be required to
perform? (Ask them to list every step of the job.) |
|
Will I be paid a salary or on commission? |
|
Who will pay me? |
|
When will I get my first paycheck? |
|
What is the total cost of the work-at-home
program, including supplies, equipment, and membership fees? |
|
What will I get for my money? |
Many ads don’t say you may have to work for many hours without
pay. Or that there may be hidden costs. Countless work-at-home
schemes require you to spend your own money to place newspaper
ads, make photocopies, or buy the envelopes, paper, stamps, and
other supplies, instructions or equipment you need to do the job.
People deceived by these ads have lost thousands of dollars in
addition to their time and energy.
These business opportunities make it sound easy to start a business
that will bring in lots of income without much work or cash outlay.
The solicitations trumpet unbelievable earnings claims of $140
a day, $1,000 a day, or more, and claim that the business doesn’t
involve selling, meetings, or personal contact with others, or
that someone else will do all the work.
According to the U.S. Postal Service Investigation Service, envelope
stuffing has become a highly mechanized operation using sophisticated
mass mailing techniques and equipment which eliminates any profit
potential for an individual doing this type of work at home.
They know of no work-at-home promotion that ever produces income
as alleged. In just one twelve month period they put about 3,500
of these work-at-home operations out of business through mail stop
orders, consent agreements, or criminal proceedings.
To raise public awareness and assist law enforcement, the Better
Business Bureau and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service answered
112 work-at-home advertisements around the country and found that
nearly 100 percent of the heavily advertised opportunities are
fraudulent.
The yearlong investigation, called Operation Job Fraud, found
that 21 operations were out of business before the study concluded.
Another 12 did not respond after applicants sent money, and 10
more stopped responding after an initial inquiry.
Of the 69 remaining, two said the jobs had been filled and the
rest sent instructions for setting up another work-at-home company,
products to assemble, books and lists of other work-at-home companies
to contact or offers for software, books or videos.
While about 20 million entrepreneurs this year will earn their
income from enterprises run from basement offices and kitchen tables
nationwide millions of others will fall victim to work-at-home
scams that are spread through classified ads, direct mailings,
and the Internet and e-mail.
They will say things like: "Work at Home, Earn Up to $40,000
a Year!"; "Easy Work for Excellent Pay!"; "Be
Your Own Boss, Work Your Own Hours!"
One person who paid $54 for a software package that she thought
would allow her to launch a data-entry business found that when
she installed the software, the only directions that popped onto
her screen told her to place ads in local newspapers to get others
to purchase the software. "And if, by chance, any other sucker
bought the software, like I did, then I would get paid $7."
Another victim spent more than $2,100 on a home computer and training
software after answering an advertisement to work from home as
a medical-bills processor. But after getting set up, she called
the company for help and found that the telephone number was disconnected.
Items to look for when suspecting a fraudulent home business opportunity:
|
No experience is required. |
|
You can make a fortune working
a few hours a week. |
|
Ask yourself why they would pay
you for something a machine or factory in China could do faster
and cheaper. |
|
The ad is bold-faced, CAPITALIZED and
full of exclamation marks!!! |
|
The ad is totally vague about what
you’ll do but implies untold riches. |
|
You are asked to call a 1-900
number and are billed for seeking more information. |
|
For a fee, they will send you a
list of businesses that are looking for home-based workers. |
|
When following up they pressure
you to make a decision immediately. |
"How-To" Get Caught
An FTC induced settlement showed that more than 85,000 consumers
nationwide lost about $4 million to U.S. Hotline, Inc. which did
business as U.S. Car Buyers Alliance, U.S. Job Finders and U.S.
Publishers Advocates, marketers of three "money-making" schemes.
Most consumers are lucky to be getting back about $50, which represents
full refunds of their losses.
The FTC had charged the defendants with deceptively promoting
a series of "guides", for $20 to $50 each, that supposedly
explained how to buy government-seized cars at "giveaway prices," or
how to find work-at-home jobs that involved reading manuscripts
or books, or performing piece-work.
They misrepresented their refund policies, the profits or earnings
you could make, and numerous other aspects of the schemes. In addition
to the refunds they are barred from making the same or similar
misrepresentations regarding any publications, products or services
they market in the future.
The companies are all out of business at this time. The FTC won
a court order freezing their assets and appointed a receiver. The
refunds are being distributed to those who filed written complaints
or who mailed in a claim form sent to all of their customers.
10/01 - The first Ontario ruling to forfeit proceeds
of crime acquired through Cybermarketing fraud came about after
the conviction of Daniel Richard Quibell, 27; James
Earl Quibell, 25; and Richard Brian Quibell,
52, for their spamming operation which promoted home businesses.
The three were found guilty of fraud in connection with the operation
of three companies; R&D Enterprises, Cybermarketing and National
Information Services; from June of 1997 to October of
2001.
The investigation began after police received complaints that
millions of unsolicited electronic mail messages were being dispersed
world wide. These messages, disseminated by the companies, promised
the ability to earn thousands of dollars monthly by starting home
businesses.
The investigation concluded that the nature and promises made
in the unsolicited emails constituted a fraud against the public.
More than 10,000 individuals around the world fell victim to the
scheme.
They were sentenced today to a six month conditional sentence
to be served at their residence. The monies, which amounted to
$225,000, will be returned to the victims by the Attorney General
of Ontario.
Other Sites:
Friends in Business
Scams
Susan Simerly sent along this offering Dec 21, 2001.
HOME-WORKERS NEEDED! $300-$1000 PLUS WEEKLY Simple, pleasant work...you
do at home.
Dear Friend,
Are you seeking a rewarding second income? Would you like to set
your own work schedule? Work the hours you choose? Earn extra income
for your family? If so, then we may have the answer.
Current statistics show that by the year 2010, 40-60% of the American
work-force will be working from home. Get a jump on your future
and secure a job through us. Our company provides a special work-at-home
program that is used by thousands of people and businesses across
the globe.
With your help, we can reach and provide a better program to more
of these people and businesses, faster and at a lower cost, than
our competitors. The vast majority of these positions require no
special skills or experience, just a sincere desire to GET STARTED,
and EARN MONEY!
YOU CAN EARN GOOD MONEY!!!
Potential incomes range from $300 to $1000 weekly or more, depending
only on the amount of free time you have available. The effort
you invest can make you a substantial income. You'll find this
work, done easily and quickly, can double or even triple your income.
With just one or two hours per day you will be excitedly surprised
at how easy we've made it to get the type of position you want
and how profitable this work actually is. You can earn enough money
working in your spare time to purchase that new car or boat you've
been wanting, pay off credit cards, bills, or even take a vacation.
Maybe just add more financial security for yourself or your family.
Whatever the reason, you can't go wrong.
ALL BUSINESS CAN BE DONE RIGHT FROM YOUR OWN HOME
You can start the same day you receive our program and instructions
and begin receiving money within a matter of days. Most of these
positions require no prior experience or special skills and our
program is specifically designed to get you up and running as fast
as possible.
HELP SOLVE YOUR MONEY PROBLEMS
If you are looking for an excellent extra income to relieve financial
pressures, you owe it to yourself to investigate our program. Naturally,
no company can afford to send out expensive information for free
to everyone who writes in asking for it. Therefore, we must ask
each person for a one time fee of $10.00.
This fee covers all the cost of our work-at-home program and includes
complete details. It also assures us that you are serious about
working as a Home-Worker. We will not ask or require you to pay
us for any additional information, instructions, or materials.
There is no hassle. However, you must act promptly.
At this time there is a need for dependable Home-Workers in your
area, some of whom may start in the very near future. There are
only a limited number of positions needed for each position for
each region and as soon as each position is filled, we will cease
to offer this program. Your help is needed now! So, if you're a
productive, positive person, we're looking forward to hearing from
you and seeing you benefit from our program.
SIMPLE, EASY, AND PROFITABLE, THIS PROGRAM MAY BE THE BEST WAY
TO MAKE AN EXCELLENT INCOME AT HOME.
I understand that the Home-Workers Program does not contain and
is not in any way a get-rich-quick scheme and that the fee I am
enclosing is a one-time fee only and that ZCC Marketing will not
ask for or require any further funds.
**Processing fee must be in US FUNDS ONLY please. *
Send to: ZCC Marketing 1489 Marine Drive #514 West Vancouver,
B.C. CANADA V7T 1B8 Because we are a company soliciting
people from the public we must assure you that we are the BEST
type of company PERIOD.
No Pot of Gold at the End
I want to let people know, who hopefully find this site before
getting scammed, that Rainbow Expressions is a total scam. They
offer all kinds of work-at-home programs all over the internet
and have many sites linked to them - here are a few: workathomeconnection.com;
workathomesite.com; findworkathomeemployment.com; rainbowexpressions.com
Rainbow Expressions
P.O. Box 130275
Fort Lauderdale, Florida 33313
I found them by typing in work-at-home jobs. I figured they were legit
because no matter which site I went to, there they were. I paid them
$47.00 dollars for their start up fee for supplies to stuff envelopes.
I really regret not finding this site before sending them my money.
I wrote them a mean letter and requested they refund my money
if they have any decency - knowing that they will probably just
laugh and cherish my letter as "A job well done" on their
part.
It is so sad to know that there are people in the world that do
this to others. I am not able to go out and work in an everyday
work environment as most people can, because of disabilities and
thought this envelope stuffing job was an answer to our prayers.
Extra money of any amount is very hard to come by in my household.
Linda MFP 01/06/02
Not Barefoot Yet
There is a site I got involved with called Iron Stone Publishing
at ironstonepub.com. They charged me $24.95 to get downloads of
jobs at home.
I applied for dozens and never got one reply. When I applied for
a home job they had listed for Pinkerton I received my envelope
back marked address unknown.
When I informed them of this I was called stupid and uneducated
and incapable of following orders or applying for a job. Nothing
could be further from the truth, believe me.
When I mentioned that I was going to tell people what had happened
to me, they informed me that if I discussed anything about their
site, with anyone, they would sue my socks off.
After I advised them that I was alerting Pinkerton about them,
I never heard back. Just thought I'd warn others.
Siouxscot 01/05/02
Med Quest Inc at www.Med-Quest-Inc.com say they guarantee you
a job but after you pay them a fee all they do is send you a list
of companies that are supposedly hiring. When applicants called
the companies listed, the perspective employers were very upset
and wanted to know who's list they were on so they could be removed.
None of them knew what you were talking about and were not working
with that company although a few of them seemed to have had this
problem before with Med Quest. Applicants have not got money back
even though they said it was money back guarantee.
Work at Home as Phone Actors/Actresses
for SEX LINES / PSYCHIC HOTLINES
With suggestive or generically obscure names such as Lip Service,
North Star Guild, TnT Central, Brownwood Ltd, Teleglobal, Destiny4Pleasure,
thisnthatcompany and Miss Mercedes Ladies, the adult phone line
business promises to pay you for talking the pants off other people.
The trouble is you may be the one to have to find these people
and drive them to the site, then you need to get them to pay for
the service. You are also expected to purchase calling cards and/or
call the customer on your dime for a top pay of 30 cents a minute.
In addition AT&T is getting out of a major part of the pay-for-service
telephone business, dealing a serious blow to psychics, sex lines
and other companies that use 900 numbers. They stopped providing
billing services for new 900 customers as of 01/02, and will discontinue
billing for all such numbers on Dec. 31. The tawdry reputation
of some 900 services and its affect on AT&T's image may have
played a part.
Tips and comments from promoters include:
"Do you have a charming personality and love to talk with
interesting people? Do you desire to earn a great income performing
a fun and easy job right from the comfort of your own home?
If you answered "yes" to all of the questions above,
then this is the job for you! Northstar Communications desperately
needs telephone actors and actresses to provide entertaining conversation
to our European clients. We prohibit all sexual-oriented conversation.
We are not associated with any adult entertainment industry. Our
chat lines are only open to nice, honest conversation.
Compensation for this position is WONDERFUL!! You can earn a minimum
of $670 per week! You are only required to work any 5 days out
of a 7 day week and talk a minimum of 240 minutes a day. The best
part about working for us is, there is NO investment or start-up
fees of any kind.
Nevertheless, if you have spectacular voice talent and desire
to work from home, send an e-mail to..."
"The newest Adult Phone Chat line out there is owned by two
women who are not only out there to make money themselves but to
provide a stable, fun and stress free work environment for both
men and women."
"Remember to always protect yourself and your privacy. You
make the decision regarding the type of method used to receive
these calls."
"Pre-Paid Calling Cards can be purchased at local gas stations,
Walmarts, or other discount stores. (Shop for the card with the
best per minute rate, we use cards that have a 1 cent per minute
rate. You may have to do some shopping to find this one but they
do exist.)
"Purchase an 800 service for your home phone. These require
that you pay the rate that the 800 company sets forth out of your
pay. We are not responsible for your phone bill."
"You can use your home phone to call the client, again you
are responsible for your own phone bill. Check with your company
regarding long distance rates. We are not responsible for your
phone bill. Also, make certain that you know how to use call block
so that the person you are calling cannot trace the call back to
you. If you have a cell phone with unlimited minutes and long distance,
you can use this as well if you like."
"For the most part, you are expected to "play around" on
ICQ and try to get people to call you. You can use AOL, Yahoo,
personal ads or whatever else you like."
"We charge $35 for 15 minute phone meetings and $55 for 30
minute phone meetings. Your pay is these amounts less $10
($25 and $45). Most "phone sex" sites will only
pay half the amount charged to the client."
"You will have a listing as a Mistress or Miss on the mainpage,
your own webpage and a "pro" email account."
"This job requires reps to answer incoming calls directed
by the main computer and interact with customers by using their
computer screen scripts. All reps are independent contractors,
and work on a per call/minute basis, and are paid only for their
talk time, with additional incentives (Bonuses) for outstanding
performance."
"Seeking EXPERIENCED psychic professional counselors in all
areas of divination: Tarot, Astrology, Karma cards, Angel Cards,
Numerology, Runes, ETC! All Wiccans and other spiritual groups
are encouraged to join us! Applicant MUST bear a TRUE psychic/intuitive
GIFT (no acting nor fabrication). $13/hour."
Some cautionary notes and observations from past participants.
"It is definitely sex talk, but for the money, I can talk
about almost anything on the phone."
"Most times it is about sex, not just a nice woman to chat
with. But it's a game. If you want to work the psychic lines for
$9-12 bucks an hour, go for it, but if you want to act you can
make $16.80 an hour."
"The lady next door knows I work at home. She has no idea
what I do because I just tell people I work for a marketing company
and I have to be on the phone and the computer a lot. One day I
was in the bathroom doing a call and "Billy Bob, get your
ass up here for dinner" was yelled into my window right into
my phone."
"Many companies will promise you you will get busy, but then
hire tons of girls so no one can make a living except for the owners
of the line."
"As soon as they want $$$ for info, the right to work, or
whatever........forget about it!"
"If anyone is interested in doing phone sex, with Brownwood
Ltd. you have no need for a second phone line in your home, no
costs to start, and the calls are routed to you, you don't have
to run up an outrageous phone bill. www.BrownwoodLtd.com"
"I had a 900# for which I paid 300 bucks and I got scammed.
When I called my own 900# I was told to hang up and dial someone
else's number."
"They run ads very late at night. If they have two or three
hundred people call wanting a reading, then they have to have two
or three hundred people sitting by their phones, all bright eyed
and bushy tailed in the middle of the night. The calls quickly
taper off, and though you make three dollars and fifty cents for
a ten minute reading, they only give you seven per cent, I cannot
be bothered to stay up late for such wages."
"The money is so low that anyone who can read cards can work
at a coffee shop or a restaurant, split the take with the owner,
and do better in one day than this paid in a whole month."
"I thought it would be good when I was working around the
house. You can't do anything else, take a bath, wash the dishes,
walk the dog, because you have to be professional when that phone
starts ringing."
"The whole ICQ thing just sounds like another way to say "troll
for customers using AOL Instant Messaging". Just another
scam that wants you to waste YOUR time finding clients and spend
YOUR money talking to them...."
"Sounds like there are different chats we can do with the
client we don't have to do anything we aren't comfortable with.
Depending on the block time we get a percentage of the pay paid
everyday via Paypal and also once a week pay sent to our house."
"I bought a phone card for 10 bucks, it was calls for a penny
a minute with an access fee per call of 25 cents. I had 2 callers
for 30 minutes the one day, got paid the next and went and bought
another card."
"I have seen actress/actor jobs were you have to get your
own 1-800 numbers so they can call you and you have to scout your
own clients. When I see those I just move on."
"If there is a guarantee that clients are ready and willing
to pay $30 for 15 minutes of chat time and I can get a calling
card for 0.01/min then 100 minutes of talking could be very lucrative.
Time will tell!"
"Regardless of how many calls you take, your pay reflects
the average amount of time you kept callers on the line. If your
average hold time is under 8 minutes you get paid 12 cents per
minute. The only way to get paid 30 cents a minute is for you to
have an average of 10 minutes."
"You can't force these men who are ready to climax to hold
on for 10 minutes. Though some who just call to talk last about
15 minutes, the others that last 2 or 3 always brings the average
down."
"Conversion is the % of people you talk to that turn around
and call the 900# AND stay on past the free minutes."
"I have looked into the psychic lines which are an absolute
rip off. You have a script so you are ripping off these people
that are calling in thinking this is going to help them."
Don't Follow This Star
Get paid to chat. $.56 a minute. No fees. Not phone sex or
psychic.
When hundreds of people signed on for one "work at home -
get paid to chat" opportunity they were told they would have
friendly innocent conversations with European men or recruit other
phone actors who called.
But instead of answering phone calls from a lonely hearts line
they had to make the phone calls and many times it was long-distance.
The deception involved hundreds of people who were charged thousands
of dollars for phone minutes.
The home-workers were told to connect through an inaccessible
toll-free number but when that did not work they were given a long-distance
line to call and told they would be paid $1.48 per minute.
They said they would be reimbursed the call-in charge of up to
$1 a minute but never got that or payment for their time. Instead
they incurred phone bills in the thousands of dollars.
"I answered an ad advertising for recruiters, people to actually
recruit the phone actors and actresses who would talk to people
on the North Star line. You would just try to keep people on the
phone and chat with them."
As for the lonely European men, a few workers remember hearing
some men on the line. But the only one located thought he was being
paid to talk to lonely women. After navigating through some fairly
explicit material, the home workers connected to people who sounded
mysteriously like other home workers.
"So I was talking with the women who had kids, talking about
recipes and cooking dinner. But after a few days we began putting
two-and-two together and figured, hey, we're just chatting with
each other."
The company behind this, North Star Communications Group Ltd.
was traced to 21 year old Mike Bain alias Mike Bailey of Winnipeg,
Canada.
2025 Corydon Ave Suite 162, Winnipeg MB R3P 0N5
385 St. Mary Ave, Winnipeg, MB R3C 0N1
Try Collecting From Them
Operating since at least 1998, A.V.I. Data Processing Center of
Highland CA have had a pattern of unanswered complaints regarding
alleged false advertising and misrepresentation of an employment
offer with them for data entry which they promote through www.aviathome.com
While they appear to advertise data entry work at home employment,
processing legal judgment notices, clients are not offered employment
of any kind.
Instead, for an advance fee of $175.00, they receive a package
containing software, a book with information on starting your own
business, instructions on how to search court records for unpaid
judgments and are told to mail a series of letters to the prevailing
party at their own expense, offering to collect their judgment
for a fee of $20.00.
Refunds and cancellations can only be obtained if the complainant
sends proof of receiving 50 checks from clients within 60 days.
The company responds to a few complaints by denying refund requests
but most complaints are unanswered. Both A V I Data Processing
Center and Nationwide Collection Services operate out of a mail
drop. Neither company has a published telephone number, and calls
to the phone numbers on their printed materials reach recorded
messages.
The individual below is trying to get his money back and is going
to file a suit locally against this company. He would like to know
if anyone that has been victimized by them would care to have him
represent them.
Robert M Brady
38545 35th ST E
Palmdale, CA 93550
cjfa.org@ earthlink.net
Update 04/15/02 / 07/29/02
The BBB has 117 complaints filed against AVI on file.
The USPS has notified AVI that they are under investigation through
their Consumer Protection Program, and have 45 days to resolve
this situation, or face possible prosecution by the United States
Attorney's Office, as well as a possible administrative action
taken by the Legal Department of the USPS, to cut off their mail
service.
Bob had meeting with Rick Stevens - Special Investigator with
the San Bernardino District Attorney's Office, who have launched
a formal investigation by the Specialized Prosecutions Group (Consumer
Fraud) Division and has filed complaints with CA Department of
Consumer Affairs, the FTC, and the CA State Attorney General's
Office, but hasn't received any word from these agencies as of
yet.
He is looking for legal counsel that will represent a class action
though so far only two victims have contacted him. He is hoping
to get access to the BBB complaint file but told that a court ordered
subpoena is required.
He put together a website dedicated to this specific issue. For
his efforts he has been served with a lawsuit by Higgins, the guy
that said he didn't own AVI in the beginning. He is suing for Defamation,
Trade Libel and Unfair Business Practices.
Robert wants to get him into court anyway so a Judge can see for
himself what's going on. He has the help of Stephen Rohde, the
immediate past president of the Southern California ACLU who is
helping him structure his legal motions and filings. He feels
that the DA is right around the corner from filing charges as well.
08/19/02 - Filed Motion To Strike "AVI's" Complaint
so that the issue of "deceptive and misleading" advertising
will be brought in front of a Judge for review. The Hearing is
set for September 17, 2002 in the Superior Court of San Bernardino,
Dept. S5. No word yet from the District Attorney's Office
regarding their investigation.
Lesley Fountain (www.friendsinbusiness.com),
who was named as a co-defendant in this lawsuit, has Jesper Rasmussen
from the California Anti-SLAPP Program (www.casp.net)
helping her to put her motion together.
Good luck as they go toe-to-toe with AVI Data Processing (Dameon
Higgins)
11/14/02 - The hearing was scheduled for the
next day but a fax arrived stating that Mr. Higgins is dropping
the lawsuit against them.
03/27/03 - In February, we won a judgment
against AVI for our "Costs & Attorney's Fees" for
over $76,000. Now they are complaining about that so it's back
to court. We also found out that we would likely have won the "Motion
To Strike" as well, if he hadn't dropped the lawsuit.
Stock Routing Scam
While I have yet to figure the workings or ultimate goal of this
operation I thought I would put it up for display and eventual
investigation. They explain the process thus:
We process packages from our partners around the country and feel
the need of honest person, who can route our mail to destinations
around Europe. All our letters and packages are legal, and will
be received by you from big well-known corporations such as Toshiba,
Gateway, HP, Fujitsu, Dell.
We do know about the Anthrax threat in USA these days, so we promise
you - there are will be no packages/letters from unknown individuals,
just well-known corporations.
PAYMENT: We arrange payment at end of first probation month of
work (30 days) $2000.00 in U.S. Dollars and second month and after
that - $4000.00 in U.S. Dollars.
In future, salary may be up to $120.000 per year, but work can
become full-time. In addition to payment above, you'll receive
all money you'll spend for shipping for our company.
LETTERS & PACKAGES TRAFFIC: You receive about two packages
per week - 1 8 lbs per package maximum.
REQUIREMENTS: 1)5-10 hours per week 2)Address for letters and
packages (not a P.O. box) 3)Fax us any kind of your I.D. - such
as drivers license, national I.D. etc. to 720-528-7930 (U.S FAX) (You
can understand, without simple verification, we can't begin to
work, because our packages have very high value and we don't
want to risk) 4)When you receive our packages & letters, you
must send them out via USPS Global Express Mail (EMS) to
our destinations and provide tracking number to us.
ABOUT US: We are Sprint Ordering, Ltd. engaged in distributing
of exclusive electronics. We help people in purchasing brand-name
electronics such as DVD-players, A/V receivers, digital photo and
video camcorders, some kind of rare accessories for them.
Also we are interested in distributing different computer parts,
complete computer systems (notebooks only). You can check our website
at www.sprintordering.com for more information.
The reason of our activity is the absence of possibility to buy
that kind of electronics in those regions (high tax-rates, high
prices, absence in the shops or expensivness).
We need to sign contract before the work. Let us know your decision.
Look at the contract:
E M P L O Y M E N T C O N T R A C T
THIS AGREEMENT, entered into this the ____ day of _____________,
2002, by and between Sprint Ordering, Ltd., (410 W. Colfax Avenue,
Denver, CO, 80204, USA), in the furtherance "Employer",
and ______________________, in the furtherance "Employee".
WHEREAS Employee identifies himself as ______________________
residing at the following address: ________________________________________________WHEREAS
Employee states that he's citizen or permanent resident of the
US and his residence is in City of _____________, State of __________________,
USA.
He submits as verifications of these facts a true & accurate
copies of his I.D. card (Driver's License, SSN Card etc.) that
are incorporated herein.
WHEREAS Employer is liable both criminally and contractually to
keep information (such as SS and Driver's License numbers) confidentially.
N O W T H E R E F O R E, FOR AND IN CONSIDERATION of the
mutual promises and benefits to be derived by the parties, they
do hereby agree to the following:
1. The employee is being hired as a _Stock_Router_________
to perform the following general duties: _route our mail and packages
to location we specify_.
2. Hours of employment: 20 hours (Number of hours per week: 5 hours).
3. Working month is counted from the moment of getting first package
(letter) by Employee. Employer guarantees this to happen within ten working
days from the date of signing this agreement. Employee must inform Employer
by any way the same day as this will happen.
4. Ending date of employment: Until termination with or without
cause. Employee will be paid back all expenses according to the date
of termination.
5. The Employee's compensation shall be paid and received monthly
in the following order:
(A) First Month $2000.00 plus reimbursement for all and any S&H
charges the Employee has paid,
(B) and Second Month and following months $4000.00 plus Employer agrees
to pay a reasonable advance fee but not less than $1000.00 to Employee
(as "expense account fund") to cover all and any S&H charges
the Employee will pay.
6. This agreement may be terminated without notice by either
party.
7. The Employee acknowledges that in the course of employment he
may become aware of certain information about the Employer's operations
or clients that is considered proprietary.
8. The Employee agrees not to disclose such information or use
the information in any manner that might be harmful to the Employer's
business for which Employee is liable both criminally & contractually
to keep confidentially.
9. No modification or amendments shall be made to this contract
unless it (they) are in writing and executed by both parties.
10. TIME IS OF ESSENCE for both parties.
11. This contract is governed by the laws of the State of Colorado or
those of the State of the Employee is residing in.
12. Should any disagreement arise between the parties as it relates to
employment, each party shall be responsible for their own attorneys' fees
and court costs unless the Court orders otherwise.
THIS IS THE WHOLE AND ONLY AGREEMENT (CONTRACT) BETWEEN THE CONTRACTING
PARTIES.
FOR THE Sprint Ordering Ltd.:
William A Chambers
Robert T Gray
Note: Most likely a Nigerian scam, money laundering,
check fraud, bogus orders operation.
Med-A-Fax is supposed to be a "work at home" based business
that deals with sending faxes to medical institutions to help doctors
and such find work. They charge you a fee of $298 for the
package, if you want to know more about the company, what it has
to offer, etc.
They tell you very little, if anything, about the opportunity
BEFORE you send them a payment.
Got the package-it doesn't work. Just false advertising
of how much money you can make, and how the business works. Plus
if you have a complaint they will not answer your calls/letters/email,
etc. When we requested a refund, they gave us a run-around
and refused to refund our money (even after sending all of the
material back to them). Beware of this rip-off.
Thomas 03/12/02
Don't Staple, Fold or Mutilate the Payment Though
I received a work at home offer in the mail and as I have been
burnt before so I was not stupid enough to fall again.
The scam is "Stapling Booklets at Home". The promise
is "Up to $2500.00 Weekly" with a registration fee of
$39.00 - $3.00 extra for shipping within 7 days".The address
to return the filled out form and money is:
N.K.D Enterprises
4119 N. State Rd. 7
P.M.B. 135
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33319
The envelope was post marked NO VA P&DC and had no return
address.
I wish that there was a site that could list the suspects. Why
does someone have to get ripped off and then fill out a bunch of
forms before the word can start trickling out about a particular
scam?
Scott Boldwyn 08/19/02
2 Oct 2002 NorthantsnewCrimeBeat UK
A conman who tricked people out of their money with a bogus 'work
from home' scheme was yesterday jailed for two years. A court was
told 32-year-old Neil Jeans, Corby, advertised for mailing staff
and charged them money to purchase an introductory kit.
Only later did workers find they were required to place advertisements
in local shops at their own expense to recruit more people for
him to cheat. Even after being convicted of eight charges of deception
in November last year, Jeans set up another firm and continued
the deception.
He had first established Aquamass UK, of Corby, and placed advertisements
in newspapers in September and October, 2000. Applicants received
a letter promising "extra money doing pleasant work at home" and
were asked to send off for a starter kit.
Leicester Crown Court was told yesterday applicants who did send
off later received a booklet entitled Helpers of People. But only
when they received it did they realise they had to place advertisements
at their own cost.
Catarina Sjolin, prosecuting, said Jeans' business proposition
was actually "a self-perpetuating scheme, with no real work
done, achieved or produced". Jeans offered 40p for every address
secured by his 'employees', leaving the victim almost inevitably
out of pocket.
At a magistrates' court hearing last year Jeans was found guilty
of netting £114 through the fraud. He asked for a further
13 offences, committed in January and February this year to be
taken into consideration.
Miss Sjolin said he had now operated the scam four times, with
previous convictions in 1994 and 1997 and one year-long jail sentence.
Tony Stanford, mitigating, conceded the matters were serious but
insisted the aim had been to create a genuine mailing list.
He said: "Mr Jeans concedes that the way in which he went
about it was not appropriate. But he stopped at an early stage." Mr
Stanford added that Jeans had recently become a father with his
new partner and would be prepared to repay his victims.
But passing sentence, Judge Richard Bray said: "One can't
exaggerate how much anguish these sort of frauds cause members
of the public. This was an unpleasant scam which preyed upon the
credulity and trust of customers, many doubtless desperate for
work."
JOB DESCRIPTION; Processing Specialist,
This position is done over the internet and involves processing
e-mail orders, for software, from your home office. Each order
must be processed promptly and copied to a 3.5 diskette.
This will involve working 2 - 4 hours per day, however you may
choose to work more. At least 15 hours per week is required.
Full training will be provided, including; software that is downloaded
to your computer, an information packet, and a duplication license.
This information will teach you how to receive and process the
orders. The software and information are free but, we need to ask
for a $7.95 USD postage and handling charge. There will be no other
charges to you. It is not necessary to send by priority, express,
certified or registered mail.
JOB REQUIREMENTS; No experience is necessary, however you must
be self-motivated and self-disciplined. You will need a PC, printer
of good quality and an e-mail account. Job is open to US
residents only.
YOUR PAY; You can make $12.00 - $15.00 per order completed
by check to your home office. It will take less than one hour to
complete an order.
APPLY FOR PROCESSING SPECIALIST; send your info and the
postage and handling fee, (money order or check, please no cash)
to; Online Resource PO Box 270572 Milwaukee, WI 53227
As a bonus, you can download several documents and use them in
addition to your software to help you with a Home Office Career.
Have a great day, Online Resource 10/07/02 www.expage.com/onlineresources
I visited your website and have a question about an envelope stuffing
advertisement.
In my local newspaper I saw the ad, placed my name and received
information. It said I have to send in money to receive a directory
which lists jobs I can get like envelope stuffing or assembling
things. Also, there is a website www.HomeJobSecrets.com.
The company is located at 599B Yonge St., Suite 259, Toronto,
ON M4Y 1Z4, but for all I know it's probably just a mail box.
I know it's a scam because you have to pay money to work, but
this company is based in Toronto and is called Canadian Consumer
Services Inc. which offers the service of selling directories.
Even if this aspect is a legal business what about the companies
in the directories? Could they be scam jobs and if so how is this
legal? It says it's registered with Ontario Consumer and
Commercial Relations and the Chamber of Commerce but how could
they let these scams go on.
How can they set up and run businesses like this without being
caught? If this is illegal then how come they’re not
getting caught by authorities in Canada or anywhere else?
Sarah Sawah 06/13/03
Federal
Trade Commission v. end70 Corporation, et al.
The Federal Trade Commission announced the filing of a complaint against
the defendants alleging that they made deceptive claims in the sale of
Internet home-business opportunities. A temporary restraining order has
been entered by the court.
Examples of "Work at Home" sites:
www.ushomeworkers.info
www.homeworkersunited.com
www.HomeJobSecrets.com
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