As far as getting these instruments in too good to be true online scams — with the sour economy — I am seeing more and more people who really want to believe they have come into a financial windfall. When they fall for these scams, one thing is for certain — they are going to be held liable for cashing the items when the scam is discovered. This will certainly include being held financially liable, but can also mean facing criminal charges.
As for counterfeit MoneyGram instruments, although a lot of them seem to be out there, they are not the only items being counterfeited. U.S. Postal Money Orders have been seen frequently in the past, too. Recently, the U.S. Postal Service redesigned their product and has a new page on their site to help consumers verify their product. Counterfeit cashier's checks, money orders, gift and travelers cheques are also known to be frequently counterfeited and used in these types of scams.
If you want to learn more about these scams, I recommend going to fakechecks.org, where you can see some highly visual demonstrations of these schemes. Another good resource on this subject — particularly if you are a victim — is FraudAid. The folks at FraudAid actually provide resources and advocate for people falling for these scams.
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!