If you were scammed recently with a money order, the counterfeit might have been an instrument spoofing the MoneyGram brand. These money orders have been known to appear in all the too-good-to-be-true/don’t exactly make sense come-ons being passed by spam e-mails or via a direct solicitation in a chat room.
In case you are not familiar with all the variations of these come-ons, they include, but aren't limited to (new lures surface frequently), the secret shopper, romance, lottery, work-at-home and auction scams.
The common denominator in most of the scams is there will be a request to send the money you receive via wire transfer (if you don’t get caught), to the fraudster sending you this garbage for a small cut of the total amount. That is unless they are buying goods from you. In this case, the item you are selling is what they want.
In the past, a simple call to MoneyGram’s verification line (1-800-542-3490) normally was all that was needed to reveal the fact that the item was fraudulent. Unfortunately, this is no longer the case. The criminals producing these instruments are now taking advantage of a flaw in the automated verification system, which is tricking people into believing that the money orders are good.
When a MoneyGram money order is called in for verification, the system prompts the user to enter all the particulars of the instrument, including the serial number and dollar amount. If the system doesn’t spot a discrepancy, it gives out a standard disclaimer stating there are no stops or holds on the item. If the system catches a discrepancy, it directs the caller to a live operator during their business hours.
In recent weeks, I’ve received reports of this being exploited in two ways. In the first instance, a legitimate money order is purchased for a small amount (normally $1.00), then is chemically washed and altered to reflect a large dollar amount. It is then passed before it registers in the verification system, and since the system doesn’t recognize the dollar amount, it gives out the standard disclaimer then tells the caller there are no stops or holds on the item. According to the people I’ve asked, money orders do not register in the system for anywhere between 24 and 96 hours after being issued by a MoneyGram agent.
Article comments
1 - margaret ventura
had a lot of people trying to scam me but have them check by bank and post office. don't deposit to account it will be closed and don't deal with any one on gmail.asrtra zeneca fraud going online
2 - auangle
A money order ws mailed to me by a customer answering my phone for sale ad. The American customer,indicated her phone broke,while on an assignment in Africa.
A few emails later the customer stated that her assistant had mailed a money order for more than the amount discussed.
The money order arrived in a couple of months in a brown envelope,with S.African postage on it.
My husband drove me to Wal Mart to cash it and after witing for a long period for the cashier to verify the money order authorities arrived.
I left the envelope home. Being that I had not been a resident of the city or state none of my credentials in my purse matched the mailing address I used.
I noticed the authorities and the store personnel staring at the computer screen and seemingly chanting" 88 dollars". later I asked about the statement. I was told that the money order was cashed for 88 dollars in the same state.
Therefore the "customer" had cashed a real money order with the same numbers,reproduced it,and mailed it to me. Disgusting!