Mail Processing Services ripoff scam scheme theft envelope stuffing work at home home scam Florida

Hello

My wife was enticed to try this business
and then I remembered this site and came
here and searched for "Mail Processing
Services" and I found alot of reports about
this business. Now my wife won't be wasting
our precious money.

I have some info for those have been taken.
This is from the Florida Attorney Generals
website.

http://www.myfloridalegal.com

Take This Scheme and Stuff It: Avoiding Envelope Stuffing Rip-Offs
$550 to $3,000 weekly.
Ten dollars for each circular you mail...
Free Postage...Free Circulars...No Newspaper Ads...No Magazine Ads...No Bulletin Board Ads! Paychecks mailed to you every week! Advance paycheck forms included in your package!!

Sound familiar? Of course. Ads for envelope stuffing opportunities seem to be everywhere from your mailbox to your newspaper to your e-mail inbox. Promoters usually advertise that, for a small fee, they will tell you how to earn big money from home stuffing envelopes. And they claim that they'll pay you a certain amount of money for each envelope stuffed, resulting in hundreds or thousands of dollars for you each week.

These ads may seem appealing, especially if you are looking for a home-based business. But according to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), America's consumer protection agency, ads like these don't tell the whole story, because the promoters aren't really offering a job.

Instead, say FTC attorneys, after you send your money, you're likely to get a letter telling you to place the same envelope-stuffing ad in newspapers or magazines, or to send the ad to friends and relatives. The only way you'll earn money is if people respond to your ad; in fact, the government says, the promoters themselves rarely pay anyone.

If you're 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 answers to these questions may help you determine whether an envelope-stuffing promotion is appropriate for your circumstances, and legitimate. It may also help to check out the company with your local consumer protection agency, state Attorney General, and the Better Business Bureau in the community where the company is located as well as the community where you live. These organizations can tell you whether they have received complaints about the promotion that interests you. Note that the absence of complaints doesn't necessarily mean the promoter is legitimate. Unscrupulous promoters may settle complaints, change their names or move to avoid detection.

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 Attorney General's office in your state or the state where the company is located. The office will be able to tell you whether you're protected by any state law that may regulate work-at-home programs.
* 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.

For More Information

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.

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How to Protect Yourself:
Work-at-Home Schemes
Source: Florida Attorney General's Office
Newspapers and magazines often carry advertisements reading: Earn hundreds of dollars each week at home in your free-time. Send $37.50 today to Box 555...and learn how! It might sound great but, if you are not careful and you send money, your dreams of gold may turn out to be a lead balloon.

Many work-at-home schemes have hidden costs. They might charge you huge fees for supplies. They may require you to spend your own money to advertise the product or service for sale. Even if you do everything as instructed, they still might not pay you. Work-at-home schemes have defrauded consumers out of millions of dollars.
Tips For Consumers

Watch out for common work-at-home-schemes
The most common work-at-home schemes include envelope stuffing and product assembly or craft work. In the envelope scheme, you either receive nothing in return for your money or a notice telling you the only way to earn money at home is by placing an ad like the one you answered and defraud other people with get-rich-quick dreams. In the product assembly or craft work scheme, the company often hits you for extra costs for supplies, equipment, etc. Then, after you have performed the work and assembled 200 sewn and hand-painted dolls, the company rejects them as not meeting their quality standards. In reality, no product ever meets their quality standard because they never intended to pay anyone.

Protect Yourself
A legitimate company will put all the terms in writing before you must pay a fee. The writing will list the work you must perform, how you will be paid, who will pay you, when payments will begin and the total costs for fees and supplies. Even if a company puts all of this into writing, scrutinize it carefully. If it sounds suspicious, do not send money.

If you become defrauded
File a complaint with Consumer Protection Agency or the Attorney General's office in the state where the company is located. That office may be able to help you and the other victims of this scheme. You may also file complaints with your local Postmaster (the Postal Inspection Service investigates mail fraud claims). Also call the newspaper where you first saw the ad. Let them know about the problems you experienced.

Please pass this info on.

Jeffrey
Aloha, Oregon
U.S.A.

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