The Virginian-Pilot
                            THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT  
              Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: Monday, January 8, 1996                TAG: 9601060180
SECTION: BUSINESS WEEKLY          PAGE: 05   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BUSINESS WEEKLY 
                                             LENGTH: Short :   31 lines

BBB: BE WARY OF WORK-AT-HOME PLANS

The Better Business Bureau in Norfolk said it received 514 inquiries on work-at-home companies in the last six months of 1995, making work-at-home one of the 10 most inquired about industries for that period.

The most frequent promotion involved stuffing envelopes. Consumers who responded by phone received a promotional letter encouraging them to send a fee (usually $20 to $50) for materials.

Other work-at-home promotions may include:

Assembling crafts or jewelry. However, the company only pays for those crafts it deems acceptable.

Proofreading. Consumers are furnished, for a fee, a list of publishers to be contacted for work. Professional publishers rarely use outside help for proofreeding.

Raising lab animals, though it's a risky and expensive endeavor. MEMO: If misleading or fraudulent promotions are suspected, call the BBB at

627-5651.

KEYWORDS: FRAUD BBB by CNB