BEWARE: Work-at-home offers ripping people off in Chicago area

A warning about work-from-home offers: you see them advertised everywhere, online and on road-side signs.

In just the last few weeks, FOX 32 heard from several viewers who called into our tip line to report never getting paid for work they did. 

For Shelley Kostoff, the idea of earning money working from home seemed ideal. She found a position on a popular job search website.

“I applied for the job, and they responded by email saying that I was the perfect candidate,” Kostoff said.

Days later, she accepted her new job as "logistics manager" - receiving and mailing out packages sent to her address.

“It just seemed really real,” Kostoff said.

She says for 30 days, she worked for the company and then waited for the promised paycheck. But the money never came.

“I'm just upset. I'd like to get paid for my services. I've done everything I was told to do,” Kostoff said.

She isn't alone. FOX 32 heard from three other viewers - all with situations similar to Kostoff's.

“I think it's time to put a stop to it,” she said.

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service agrees. It warns consumers about work-at-home-scams like these, saying many times the items in the packages were bought with stolen credit cards.

If you're looking for a job where you can work from home, vet the company thoroughly and don't give out personal information to a company you don't know.

And if you think you were ripped off, report it to the postal inspector to help stop more people from falling victim.