Security of money orders?

[geno]

I'm ebaying an cell phone and was asked if I accepted money orders. I used to have no problems with MO's, but then I started hearing of counterfeited ones surfacing from time to time, but haven't seen a specific case of this. Are there any steps to take to ensure a legit MO comes through? The other alternative is PayPal, obviously, but if this guy's a scammer I wouldn't doubt finding a way to get falsified PayPal sent isn't out of the question either.

 

[PottedMeat]

I've sent out Western Union MOs before, never cashed them though. I've cashed USPS MOs at the local post office, all they need is ID. Remember MOs are always received in the mail, not any stupid ass email saying 'blah blah has issued a MO to you, it's okay to ship'.

 

[mshan]

As seller, why wouldn't you wait till the USPS money order cleared into your account (or got cashed at bank teller - I would assume they are trained to spot counterfeit ones?) before shipping.

Paypal is a much less safe option for seller, as there is always the risk of charge back and Paypal seems to side with buyer most of time.

 

[SphinxnihpS]

As seller, why wouldn't you wait till the USPS money order cleared into your account (or got cashed at bank teller - I would assume they are trained to spot counterfeit ones?) before shipping.

Paypal is a much less safe option for seller, as there is always the risk of charge back and Paypal seems to side with buyer most of time.

USPS MOs are the absolute safest way to go on internet transactions. If you get fucked, an armed USPS marshal will show up at the door of the crook. They are difficult to fake, and must be paid for in cash.

 

[Born2bwire]

Ask for USPS. They have a detailed guide on their site that shows off the security marks. My roommate got a fake USPS, we knew it was fake because he figured out the scam before he cashed it. He took it into the Post but had to point out to the clerk why it was fake. I wouldn't trust the Post to see that it is a fake when you cash it, the clerks probably only do a cursory examination if that. Like any other money order that can past first muster, it probably won't be caught until it is inspected in detail days or weeks later, and then you have to do some explaining to the feds.

So I would go with USPS since it is accessible but widely known and you can inspect it yourself but I still would not recommend just blindly cashing it thinking you won't be having any trouble if it comes up bad.

 

[geno]

Alright then, if he's offering an MO, I'll be sure to insist upon USPS. Thanks for the info :thumbsup: