i sold something over the net and the guy sent me a money order ahead of time by western union.... is there a way that i can get screwed by this money order? lets say the money order is a fake, how long will it take them to know it was a fake? the thing is he gave me all the money including shipping and the cost of the item in the money order and i know its a scam if he wants money returned, but someone said if someone is going through western union, it is most likely a scam???

 

Anything Western Union over the net is a scam

 

But he's on the receiving end of the Western Union. He's not the one being asked to use Western Union. As long as you have the money, why would it be a scam?

 

I know circle K and many other convenience stores use western union money orders. Since he sent you the money order, it is very likely legitimate.

There are ways to see if the money order is authentic or not. Many use magnetic ink on the numbers and also have micro-print and watermarks, and I'm sure WU's are similar. Your bank will probably be able to tell you whether it is legitimate. You may want to wait a couple of days to ship just in case the guy cancels the order (but I don't think they can if you cash it).

Be cautious, but also be aware that this is standard procedure for buying stuff on the net with money orders. While WU is often seen as less than reputable, don't think it's a scam just because the order says western union.

 

wtf? Cash the money order already. After you turn his money order into cash, then ask yourself how exactly he is going to scam you? If you have his cash, it is you who are suspicious, not the buyer. Was he supposed to mail you two money orders - one for the amount, one for shipping? That is asinine.

If he sent you a personal check, it could be a problem, but in order to get a legit money order, he has to actually have the cash. And if you are able to cash the money order, he'd have a very hard time not paying you, now wouldn't he?

The only risk is if the MO itself is fake, which any place that cashes them would verify prior to giving you any cash.

 

If he MAILED you a WU money order, then the only way to be completely, 100% certain is to let it clear.

If he sent the money "via WU", then it's legit. They won't give you the money order unless it's in the system. Plus, I've never received money "via WU" that wasn't cashed at the same time that I picked it up. Obviously, once you have cash in hand, you're safe.

 

I don't get it. Cash it, if you get the money, send in your part. If you can't cash it, tell the person the problem and tell him/her that you rather have a cahier's check made out to you.
Is there something I'm missing? Or are there just too many frauds going on via internet (even in s2ki world) that you just can't trust people anymore?

 

thats what i thought, but it seems like people find ways to scam others out of their money... i almost got scamed for $3000 even though the part i was selling was only $600... he wanted me to wire the additional money back to him, i had no idea why this buyer was sending me extra money and was suspicious and when i read about others being scammed with the same exact situation it all became clear why he was trying so hard for me to do it... i heard different things about even cashiers check being fake and just wanted to be safe before i did anything... from what i've heard, it seems like the bank doesn't find out that the cashiers check or whatever is fake until it is too late....its a little scary now and i'm paranoid now since these scammers are everywhere