FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  Wednesday, November 23, 2016     
CONTACT:  Sara Rabern (605) 773-3215   

PIERRE, S.D. – It is that time of year when people are looking to put a little extra cash in their pockets. The lure of ads to make big money from work-at-home opportunities on the internet and in the paper is likely too good to be true.
Attorney General Jackley’s Consumer Protection Division is seeing a sharp rise in these business opportunity scams. The language suggests the companies placing these ads will “help” consumers start their own home-based business.  The opportunities range from mystery shopping to network marketers.
The scam begins when the consumer sends a notice of interest and payment for a packet of business start-up information. The consumer then receives a cashier’s check and is told to deposit the check and wire a portion of the funds back to the scammer either directly to them or into a specific bank making the request seem more legitimate.  The bank in which the cashier’s check(s) were cashed will eventually come back to the consumer requiring repayment of the funds due them being written on a “no account”.
“Consumers who are looking for a work-at-home opportunity are not going to find the big income promised in these advertisements, but rather may end up paying money out to a scam company.  Consumers should be cautious of business opportunity scams with cashier’s checks or wire transfers,” said Jackley.  
If you have been a victim of this type of scam please file a complaint with the Division of Consumer Protection at www.consumer.sd.gov or if you have any questions please contact the Division of Consumer Protection at 1-800-300-1986.

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