SUBMITTED: Thursday, November 06, 2008
POSTED: Thursday, November 06, 2008
I also had a similar situation as this poster. I can see how she fell for the scam, fortunately, I didn't fall for it.
I use to sell on Ebay so my address was listed on my listings. I received an E-mail from someone that stated they wanted to place a large order and would be sending me a money order for the order. One day a few days later I went to the post office and received an envelope with 3 one thousand dollar money orders in it. The enclosed letter stated this was a prepayment for the order the person would be placing with me (I sold beauty products). I immediately became suspicious as the sender wanted me to deposit the 3 money orders and then transfer the money from my bank account to a 2nd individual via a money wire (keeping $500.00 for the order the individual would be placing with me). These money orders looked 100% real. I took them to the post office and asked the postal manager if the money orders were real. She looked at them and stated they did appear to be real and that I could cash them. I told her I was highly suspicious that they were not real and if there was anyway to make absolute sure they were real. She said she could turn them in to the department that handled fraud and have them checked. Bottom line, I was right the money orders were missing the required 'water' mark and were phoney. Also, the maximum amount allowable for a money order is $750.00. This alone should have told the post office these money orders were fake, however, I was first told they were real and I could cash them.
If I had taken the postal managers word at face value and not insisted they prove to me the money order was real I would have been in the same situation as this poster.
I did receive a follow up letter from the original person that sent the money orders. He wanted to know if I had received the money orders and deposited them. I returned his e-mail with ROFLMAO There is just one problem, your money orders are fake! lol I wasn't born yesterday! ROFLMAO
Never heard from him again.
These checks and money orders will clear when deposited in the receipents account. It usually takes 3 to 4 weeks for them to then bounce back.