DON’T BE FOOLED BY AN OFFER THAT LOOKS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE

Residents are being warned of a home-working scam after a North East Lincolnshire woman received an offer of work which sounded too good to be true.

In a letter received through the post, Cleethorpes resident Anne Elvin was offered payment of £550 for filling just 500 envelopes with leaflets, or £480 for producing 60 pages of copy typing.

With such high rates for relatively little work, the offer seemed an attractive one – but Mrs Elvin became suspicious when she read she was required to pay the company an up-front fee of £30 to register. Consequently she reported the matter to local Trading Standards officers.

Mrs Elvin said: “I’ve heard about things like this before, things which promise high returns for work at home.

“You have to send £30 for the initial stationary, and that’s what they do.

“I looked this company up on the internet, and it appears that there are quite a few people who had sent in the money and received nothing in return.

“In these times of the recession when people are desperate for money, people need to be aware of the risks. There must be lots of people who can’t afford that £30.”

The company offering such services has appeared in the national press alongside numerous complaints from people who had paid their registration fee and received no work or payment afterwards.

Councillor Steve Beasant, portfolio holder for safer communities and public protection, said: “Mrs Elvin was right to be cautious about this work offer.

“This firm demanded money in exchange of a promise of work, and as it turns out there have been complaints about them across the country.

“It is important that people like Mrs Elvin contact us about such scams; this allows us to make other people aware.”

Andy Foster, trading standards manager at North East Lincolnshire Council, said: “If you are approached by someone offering a lucrative income – but only after you pay them an up-front fee – you should be very cautious.

“Companies quite simply don’t make money by paying over the odds for basic services such as copy typing, and it is easy to see how some scams really make their money – by duping innocent people who are simply looking for an honest income.

“Anyone who is suspicious of an offer of work such as this should contact Consumer Direct on 08454 040506.”