View Full Version : Verifying Western Union Money Order?
Recently I made an agreement to sell someone some videogames, and he wanted to pay with a check because he didn't have Paypal. I told him that I did not want to accept a check, but would take a postal money order, and I walked him through the steps since he had never purchased one before.
However, I received the postal money order yesterday and it turns out that it is a Western Union money order. My gut feeling tells me that the dude is not trying to screw me over, but the mo is for $50 and I do not want to take any chances. Does anyone know if Western Union money orders are often faked? Is there any way to easily confirm the money order as real? Thoughts?
Thanks.
slapdash
07-12-2009, 10:41 PM
Goodness yes, they're often faked, though not necessarily to pay for videogames (it's a common thing in international scams). I think the only way to assure that it's legit is to wait, which could be on the order of three weeks. But you should probably speak to WU and/or your bank to get more info.
megasdkirby
07-12-2009, 10:58 PM
Can the serial number, if any, be traced?
Cornelius
07-12-2009, 10:59 PM
If you go to the WU website they have a phone number. I've not done it, but I'd assume you can call and have them do a lookup. I wouldn't call a number on the MO itself for obvious reasons.
garagesaleking!!
07-13-2009, 12:19 AM
ya, dont do anything till you have your money.
Goodness yes, they're often faked, though not necessarily to pay for videogames (it's a common thing in international scams).
While doing some research about the WU money orders online, I saw many pages about the international scams, but it really did not seem to fit my situation. However, when I saw that it was a WU money order, a red flag went up immediately and I thought that I would research a bit to decrease the chances of getting burned. The dude seems friendly enough, but still not worth losing $50 over it.
If you go to the WU website they have a phone number. I've not done it, but I'd assume you can call and have them do a lookup. I wouldn't call a number on the MO itself for obvious reasons.
Yeah thanks for the advice. I'll call the number tomorrow, and hopefully they can verify it for me. I was hoping there was some sort of online tool to verify, but I could not find anything of the sort.
Well I just got done calling the number listed on the Western Union website, and I was provided with a crappy menu-selection, and was not given the option of talking with a representative about the money order. I guess I'll talk to my bank about it next, and tell the buyer that I have to wait for the money order to clear, if that is what my bank advises me to do.
jb143
07-13-2009, 01:40 PM
Western Union customer service help
800-634-1311
To get a human press *##
Courtesy of www.gethuman.com
maxlords
07-13-2009, 01:41 PM
Do what I do? Go to a local Western Union retailer and cash it in for cash. There's no fee. If they won't take it, then you'll know. There's somewhere that takes WU in just about every town in N. America. I've never had a problem with it yet.
garagesaleking!!
07-13-2009, 02:22 PM
does walmart cash out Wu? i know they do moneygram
Well I ended up taking it to the bank this morning, after trying to call and not receiving any human reps. The bank allowed me to deposit the money in my account, and told me that if I did not hear anything from them in 10-14 days that I was good to go. Now I'll just wait it out and hope that I won't hear anything, although as I mentioned earlier, I really don't think the dude is trying to scam me anyway.
@jb143: Thanks for the phone number. That is different than the one I found online, and I will keep that in mind should the need arise.
@maxlords: That is a good idea. Too bad I did not see this earlier, or I may have gone this route. Anyway, I will keep it in mind should this occur again, thanks!
Pikkon
07-13-2009, 07:02 PM
The thing is if the money order comes up fake the bank will take 50 bucks out of your account.
The thing is if the money order comes up fake the bank will take 50 bucks out of your account.
Yes that is correct. But because I deposited it, it is as if I placed $50 in my account, so they will remove what was deposited via the money order, which seems logical enough. I just did not want to be out money and goods should the mo turn out to be a fake.
Pikkon
07-14-2009, 02:44 AM
Are you sure,thats part of how the scam works in a fake money order.
But I bet the person was not from Nigeria and wrote good english so the money order should be legit.
Darren870
07-14-2009, 07:00 AM
Are you sure,thats part of how the scam works in a fake money order.
But I bet the person was not from Nigeria and wrote good english so the money order should be legit.
Yes, thats how it works. Its pretty much the same thing as writing a bad check. The check/money order bounces 7-14 days later.
People think since its a money order they get the money instantly. Thats really only the case if you get the Cash from the a place that sells that money order. Otherwise it could be fake and it would bounce 7-14 days later. Its not just WU money orders, its all money orders. WU is just the most common, im guessing because its the easiest to fake.
On a side note, i've gotten WU money orders from people before and never had a problem. I would never accept one from someone in Nigeria/Over Seas or for over $100 though..
One thing to check with your bank is to see if they have any return check charges. A MO is treated like a check so if it is bad they will probably slap you with one of those ranging anywhere from $10 and up. Its important to know because if your account skirts close to a $0 balance that could lead to a crap ton of other fees.
Also there is a limit on WU MO I believe it is $500 but am not 100% positive. The MO you received is well within that limit though.