Complaint Review: S.P.I. A California Corporation

Well, After reading about Summit Group Publications, which I nearly also sent money to, I wanted to check up on the other place that 'rushed' me one of their lovely packets about stuffing mail. I've searched google, I've searched BBB, and most helpfully above all, I've searched here and could find no mention of SPI. Their addy is PO Box 600160 in San Diego, CA, and I don't think they've been there all that long, as my searches brought up a crane company that used to have that box in that city. (Which seems unrelated: They work for the department of transportation and I don't terribly think they'd need to scam my thirty dollars after seeing what the DOT pays them.

At any rate, since this may be a prior scam, as follows is the letter I recieved. I would appriciate it greatly if I can get feedback from anyone else who has interacted with this company, as I still find myself wishing that they will turn out not to be fraudulent. (I'm scraping for money pretty badly right now.) Please forgive any typos.

You can earn $1000 or more a week all from the comfort of your own home

Dear Friends:

Thank you for your decision to join the hundreds of people nationwide who have gained financial independace by participating in what has been called the most dynamic and innovative home business opportunity in the country. This incredible program allows you to set you own hours and work at your own pace while generating a substansial income all from the comfort and security of your own home.

S.P.I. was founded on the ideal that 'Everyone has the ability to achieve financial independence". The only thing standing in the way for most people is the courage to take the first step. This is where we come in. S.P.I. has developed an all-inclusive program that allows dedicated individuals to earn a substantial income while assisting us with our marketing needs. This is not an offer of employment but rather a legitimate business opportunity for individuals who wish to build a solid financial future.

By registering in the S.P.I. marketing program and following our simple instructions, you will receive information request letters from our potential customers delivered right to your door on a regular basis. Each letter will contain a pre-adressed postage paid envelope and $4.00. Simply remove the $4.00 from the envelope and insert a copy of one of our brochures thast we will provide you into the return envelope and mail it. It really is that easy. Remember, your profit is always 100% guaranteed because each request letter that you will receive will already have the $4.00 inside. There is absolutely no limit to the amount of money that you can make and you will never be required to pay for the envelopes or postage.

As a special bonus you will also receive a current copy of the S.P.I. Resource Guide To Success. The comprehensve manual contains descriptions and contact information on hundreds of companies all across the country that actively utilize home-based contractors to help fulfill their business needs. We have specifically designed this booklet to assist people in finding the home-based business that is just right for them. Some opportunities include home assembly, craftwork, conducting surveys, clerical and much more. We currently market this dynamic information for $29.95 but its yours free for just trying our program.

Like any business opportunity there are costs involved in getting started. Before we can process your application we do require a one-time fully refundable registration fee of just $39.00. This fee is to cover the cost of printing and shipping your supplies and to insure that you are serious about starting your own home-based business and not requesting our information simply out of curiosity. Your registration fee will be promptly refunded to you upon completion of your first 100 envelopes, guaranteed.

At S.P.I. we are comittedto the success of our many independent home-based contractors nationwide. We stand behind all our programs 100% and pride ourselves on our home-based business building techniques. If you are dissatisfied with any of our programs for any reason, simply return it to us for a full refund.

So don't hesitate. Complete and mail the enclosed registration card along with your one time fully refundable fee today. A return envelope has been provided for your convenience.

(They never identify what SPI stands for, and their email addy is at spicalifornia@yahoo.com rather than any company addy. Can anyone confirm or deny that this is a scam? I think if it's a new switch of a scam, that it's a good idea to get it up here so people know what it looks like. A response would be appriciated.)

M. M.
Indiana, Pennsylvania
U.S.A.

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