The Latest Scams Circulating the Consumer World. Be warned. Be informed.
June 2005
Postal Money Order Scams
Be weary of accepting a postal money order especially from anyone in Nigeria.The U.S. has seen a huge spike in counterfeit money orders primarily originating from Nigeria, but also from Ghana and Eastern Europe.A postal money order is printed and issued by the United States Postal Service (USPS), and has always been considered a safe way to exchange money because it is one of the most difficult financial documents to counterfeit.No longer!Counterfeiters are producing high-quality, virtually undetectable, phony postal money orders.
Criminals are using fake money orders to buy items through classified ads, on eBay and from retailers.In most instances, the scam originates via an e-mail message or internet chartroom/forum.The criminals will convince the victim into accepting the money order as a payment for a purchase.Don't let this happen to you!
Play it Safe
- Be skeptical if you are asked to wire money to an overseas bank account, or to cash money orders or checks, on someone else's behalf.
- Never wire funds to anyone unless you're sure the money order or check they gave you was cleared by your bank and the funds released.
- Familiarize yourself with postal money order security features.Genuine postal money orders have:
- watermark of Benjamin Franklin.A counterfeitmoney order will not look genuine when help up to a light.
- security strip running alongside the watermark, just to the right. If held to the light, a micro fiber strip will show the letters "USPS" along its length. A counterfeit money order will show a printed strip.
- rainbow of inked patterns and tones.
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