How convenient does this sound? Stay at home while you wait for an order of envelopes and pamphlets to come in. You insert the pamphlets in the envelopes, ship them back to the return address and receive your earnings. Oh, if only life were that easy. If only we can all stay at home, save some gas, and make money. Work is not that easy, and I have come across several scams sent to my e-mail address due to posting resumes on craigslist. What I find to be so common with the “stuffing of envelopes” is 9 out of 10 times they will ask you to send money. Wait a minute…I thought this was a job. Don’t people normally get paid to work, not pay their employer? Hmm! Fishy.
Another scam that’s been lurking in the Internet world are from the “princes” and “presidents” of Africa who are looking for an American representative to be their bookkeeper. This is one of those scams that I hope people haven’t fallen for because of one major reason. They ask for your personal information, even your social security number and bank account number. Aren’t they convincing? The valid reasons they give seem so believable: for security reasons, where to put the money in once the transfer of funds goes through, etc.
The other important scam that I fell for is one you can find in the classifieds section. Yes, I’m most certainly embarrassed but it’s one of those things where you learn the hard way. “Work for civil service” announcements. They tell you how easy it is to work for the post office which, to me, is a perfect job. You get benefits, you only need a high school or equivalency diploma and the work is not hard. When I saw this ad in a Pennysaver I immediately called them up. They asked me for my credit card number so I can purchase the book that would help me pass the postal examination. I figured it would be the best bet so I’d know what to expect.
I did receive the book promptly but it cost me about 90 dollars. The book was a paperback and the material was flimsy. The information regarding what was on the exam and the procedure involved seemed accurate but this was five months ago and I haven’t done a thing in becoming a postal worker. I looked up information on the Federal Trade Commission’s website and in the first sentence of an article titled Federal and Postal Job Scams: Tip-offs to Rip-offs, “You never have to pay for information about job vacancies or employment opportunities with the U.S. government or U.S. Postal Service.” (FTC, 2004)
Scams are easy ways for criminals to make money off hard-working Americans. Remember to never give out any personal information or send out money if you come across a job opportunity. If you suspect it’s a scam or question it even once in your mind, more than likely it’s a scam. Be the smarter one and outwit these scammers!
