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
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