GET rich ideas in the mail, Beware.

A Consumer 6 alert about offers that promise to make you big cash fast. They arrive almost daily in mailboxes around town. <br><br>KOTVâ€™s Diane White sorts some of them out. $30,000 a month, make

Wednesday, August 8th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

A Consumer 6 alert about offers that promise to make you big cash fast. They arrive almost daily in mailboxes around town.

KOTVâ€™s Diane White sorts some of them out. $30,000 a month, make piles of cash, the promises are written in black and white. Rick Brinkley with the Better Business Bureau, "They're working off the excitement and the enticement that you think you can be a millionaire overnight." They're offers that show up in mailboxes each day. "Three, four, five different things." We asked Better Business Bureau President Rick Brinkley to check them out.

First - Moneymaking offer for $85. Brinkley, "I still don't know what I'd be buying and what we have found through the BBB in Houston is what you'll be buying is a distributorship to sell coupon books." You need to understand that when you sign up to be a distributor of somebody else's product that you may be taking on some liability that you don't realize. Including consumer complaints about not getting guaranteed refunds, the BBB has received dozens of them about this company called Coupon Connections.

The second offer - a gifting program, send in a hundred dollars - make thousands, and it claims to be legal. Brinkley, "The IRS has a set of rules. They're very strict on giving gifts. A gift has to be given with the anticipation of getting nothing in return.â€ But the letter does promise piles of cash. Finally, an offer to make up to a thousand dollars a day. The letter provides few details, just a long distance number in Des Moines, Iowa. "I've put together a program that runs on complete auto pilot." We've all heard the old saying - it takes money to make money, that's because it does. "Just order the start-up kit. I guarantee you - you won't be sorry." A kit that costs nearly $50. Brinkley: "We called the long distance number, we listened to it and it still didn't tell us what I am getting for my 49.95." So KOTV sent away for the kit.

Consumer 6 is teaming up with the BBB. KOTV signed up for these three offers to find out what you get for your money, weâ€™ll follow up.