Get Paid to Spy on the Mailman
Editor’s Note: The application for this position is no longer available.
Grandma Penny Hoarder has always been a big influence on me and she has been a bit of a mentor as well when it comes to finding new ways to save or make extra money. Today I’m revealing one of her favorite ways to make side money….spying on the mailman.
My grandma is what’s known as a “mail decoy”. Companies add her to their mailing list and she reports back to them whenever she receives mail from them. This information is invaluable as it allows companies to know that their mail is being properly delivered in a timely manner. She reports what day she received the mail and in what condition it came.
Companies also use “mail decoys” to ensure that their mailing list is never stolen. For example, let’s say an employee steals a mailing list and sends out an advertisement for their own business use. When my grandma reports that she received a piece of mail that the company has no record of sending, they will know there has been a possible theft.
Most of the decoy mail that my grandma receives are catalogs and magazines, but she also gets a few advertisements as well. The mail is marked with a special code in the address bar so she knows what pieces are junk mail and what pieces needed to be reported back to the company as having been received.
The company that employs her is called The Hauser Group. From the looks of their website they don’t look to be a very big company, but it appears as though they are hiring. The company will pay you 25 cents for each piece of decoy mail that you report receiving.
My grandma reports that it started out slow, but once she became consistent with her reports, the company began sending her more mail. She now gets around 10-15 pieces of decoy mail each day and makes nearly an extra $100 a month. Not bad for side work.
If you are interested in signing up, here is a link to the application: Mail Decoy Application
I’m happy to pass any questions about The Hauser Group on to Grandma Penny Hoarder. Just leave a comment below or send me an email.
Good luck Penny Hoarders!
