Southwest Florida - You want to make money working at home? A lot of people do, and there are businesses that will let you do it. But not all are legitimate. They even give you a handbook on how to scam others. The WINK News viewer who brought it to our attention thinks it's an outrage. She was scammed, and she doesn't want us to reveal her identity--so we'll call her "Angela." She says, "I just wanted to look for a part time job, the way things are right now, just to help the children if I could."

"Angela" answered an ad in the paper for a part time job stuffing envelopes for a company called Home Business Systems. She sent them a check for $45.00 to get the business started. The ad sounded attractive. If she worked hard, she could make a lot of money. "$1500.00 a week, $17.00 an hour, or $18.00, or it could go up to $45.00 an hour, depending on how many envelopes I would do," she recalled.

What Angela gets a handbook. A guide on how to set up a business. But it appears to be an illegal "pyramid scheme." The bottom line: you'll be stuffing envelopes, sending them out and asking others who want to work at home to send you $45.00.

Stacey Payne, Community Relations Manager at the Lee County Sheriff's Office says, "They're targeting that Mom, maybe that single Mom who wants to stay home and raise her children and here's an extra way to do this. Who they're targeting really disturbs me."

The handbook shows you how to register your business, open a post office box and a checking account for your new business. All are perfectly legal. The question you have ask yourself is - is this ethical? and - What am I selling here? And once you get involved, you could be prosecuted for fraud.

If you are unsure about a business and want to learn more, contact your local sheriff's office. Most have fraud hotlines and economic crimes units to help you.