I recently was told by a trader to send a non-postal money order. The excuse that I was given is that there is a huge counterfeit ring going on with Postal money orders. Has anybody heard this and if not, what would you make out of that statement? I am not trying to doubt the credibility of this trader, it just sounds weird to me.

i'd laugh my ass off and keep my money.... have them send first

You can't track regular money orders can you?

right you can not track money order beside there very hard to copy anyway sound very strange to me i woul go and ask the post office and see what they say beside if it were true it should be on the the news as a top story so i say that this person is well strange

Pose this question on ebay's message board - try Seller Central. I know there was discussion a while back about counterfeit money orders. Most people tend to think they are secure payment, but not so.

PS - IIRC, I was thinking the USPS were the ones that were least likely to be counterfeit...(shrug) But obviously, those sellers go through lots of MOs & know the latest scoop.

Call a Citizens Bank (formally F&M) and ask them. They will tell you about this.

heres is more than likely what he really was speaking of, when he didnt want a postal money order.

more and more banks will not take them due to fraud

i can get a money ordein the mail, and give it to my buddy to run at a bank, he cashes it and spends the loot

i then tell the buyer the money order didnt get here

buyer files a form at the postal, and after about 60 days, most likely gets his money back

bank is then out of luck, as postal pulls the funds

many banks will not even take a postal money order for that reason

so yes its due to fraud and theft

heres a little known fact, the post office will give you cash for a money order on the spot. take it to the window, present id, get the cash

no bank needs to be invloved

case closed

i love postal money orders, no time needed to clear, no chance of me not getting the cash, no charge backs a couple months later

sometimes folks get a piece of the story, and thats why they dont make any sense

I recently was told by a trader to send a non-postal money order. The excuse that I was given is that there is a huge counterfeit ring going on with Postal money orders. Has anybody heard this and if not, what would you make out of that statement? I am not trying to doubt the credibility of this trader, it just sounds weird to me.

If someone wants to send me a money order I require a postal money order. I am very familiar with what they look like and the post office will cash it for you. If it is fake then they will not, so there is no way you would ever be out any money.

I would be more cautious of a money order from a convienence store somewhere that I don't know what its supposed to look like anyway.

Sounds fishy to me... i have cashed all my post office money orders at the post office... one time i had a money order from my sister, that was 3 years old!! i lost it, and found it later on, and they even cashed a 3 year old money order for $100 (b day gift) with no questions asked!!!!


:happyface :cool:

I work for the USPS. As a carrier I'm certainly no expert on clerk or managerial functions, but we haven't been notified about any problems with postal money orders. (Ofcourse, I've been on vacation for the past two weeks.) Usually we are informed about any scams involving the postal service.

Just wanted to put in my two cents.

I recently was told by a trader to send a non-postal money order. The excuse that I was given is that there is a huge counterfeit ring going on with Postal money orders. Has anybody heard this and if not, what would you make out of that statement? I am not trying to doubt the credibility of this trader, it just sounds weird to me.
If this was his legitimate excuse, then what would hinder him from taking your postal money order, going to the post office, cashing it before sending your item(s)?

It sounds like he has something to hide. :rolleyes:

IMHO :)

I fail to see the problem. Go get a Western Union (yellow) money order. Moneygram ones (blue) are pretty common too. Sold at gas stations and grocery stores. Cheaper than a postal one anyway.

I just know what my bank told me and that they REFUSE to cash or deposit postal money orders....

Bummer. I like both postal and Western Union money orders for the convenience. I've used WU MOs a number of times to pay for eBay auctions because I can order them online, and I can track them through Western Union's web site.

Oh well. Seems the scammers slink into every facet of life ... :<

A Western Union "money order" is not the same as "wiring money" (also a Western Union service). A Western Union money order is the same thing as a postal money order, for all intents and purposes. A piece of paper you buy and mail.