Why the $5 Handwritten Letter Business Opportunity Is Actually a Scam, According to YouTuber
Want to make hundreds upon thousands of dollars in side hustle cash? Well, apparently this paid per letter business opportunity is not the way to do it.
Published Feb. 13 2024, 12:15 p.m. ET
We all want to make extra money without trying too hard. Who wouldn't sign up for a side hustle where you can make thousands of dollars in relatively passive income just for penning handwritten letters a few hours a day?
Except, despite how easy some social media creators are claiming this money is to come by, the paid per letter opportunity is just another scam, according to a been-there-done-that YouTuber.
So what is this opportunity where you don't have to sell anything or appeal to all your friends and family to join some MLM scheme?
Just listen to one creator on TikTok, who claims you can make $5 for writing a letter for an unnamed company. It only takes four minutes "from start to finish." That means you can make up to $60 per hour — and there's no cap on how many letters you can write.
In this particular TikTok, creator @marketing.guru7 says this is a viable way to earn as much as $800 in extra cash every week, and thousands each month.
But a woman who tried it says this $5 letter writing proposal is a scam and you should steer clear!
Read the fine print on the paid per letter scam, says Julie Anderson
If something sounds too good to be true, it probably is — and the $5 handwritten letter opportunity is no different, according to YouTuber Julie Anderson.
According to the excited TikToker named Courtney, all you have to do is write the word "letter" in the comments of her share, and she will send you all the details of how to get started making some serious extra income for writing letters.
Oh, but don't forget "they" added an affiliate program so you can refer people to write letters and make even more!
Does it all sound too good to be true? Not to over 84,000 commenters who responded to the TikTok wanting to participate.
Before you join their ranks, a YouTuber named Julie Anderson says she got out just in time and wants others to see that this letter writing side hustle is a big old scam.
Do your research before joining this paid per letter opportunity.
Julie admits that seeing a video like the one shared by the TikTok creator is "compelling" because everyone wants to make money easily.
Instead, Julie says you should do your research and see the red flags associated with these scams.
Language that suggests it's easy money means that the opportunity is too good to be true, so Julie urges people to scroll on by, especially when, if you take a closer look, there is an investment associated with getting paid $5 per handwritten letter.
Just scroll down on the site that is advertising the letter writing opportunity and you will see that you must pay a $199 initiation fee, plus $25 per month just to write these letters from some mystery company.
"If it wasn't a scam, they'd tell you more about the content of the letters and who is paying them," a commenter said, while someone else pointed out, "There’s no guarantee they will send you something to transcribe. You can spend $500 to never get text to transcribe. You could just be sitting with your pen, paper, envelope, and stamps paying a monthly fee."
Add to that the throwaway line of this being a referral program, and you'll see that it's another MLM scam dressed up to look like something else.
Ultimately, Julie says if you see or hear the words "financial freedom" or "opportunity," you should realize your financial freedom is not paying someone hundreds of dollars for a vague promise of earning unlimited money.
