Life is teaching me another lesson. Do not use a USPS money order to buy something online.
Had a deal go bad where I didn't get what I paid for, seller is an admitted liar and actually sold the item to someone else. Regardless, during his lying episode he claimed someone else received his mail. NO PROBLEM, or so I thought, I'll just march down to my post office with receipt in hand, and ask for a form 6401 "Money Order Inquiry" just like USPS.com says, and find out if it has been cashed.
What I found out is that the USPS cannot trace or replace a money order for 60 days after the sale. So this means a scammer can literally make off with your money, and can be long gone before you even find out. Sure, there is a paper trail, but anyone in law enforcement will tell you "time is of the essence".
In my case, this seller/scammer claims he took my envelope and had the clerk write "refused: return to sender" but nothing has materialized. Since he has no proof of this, and his post office could not verify. I have no way to know. I can only assume he has it and is either holding out or has cashed it. Since there is a pattern of deception in the dealings on the seller's part, I can only assume this is more of the same.
So, lesson learned is you are just as at risk sending some stranger a USPS money order than cash. Learn from my mistake, which is a several hundred dollar one. If a seller says "no Paypal" there is usually a reason. Not intending to turn this into a debate and I won't name the seller as per the forum rules, this did not take place on RR, I will refrain from any references to where, but if you know me you can figure out who the good guy and bad guys are. :lol:
Most of my dealings online have been flawless, this was the first one to go bad. I've used USPS money orders before on occasion, and always THOUGHT "you are protected" but the reality is they are no better than sending a personal check. At least with that you could place a stop payment at the first sign of something going south.
Had a deal go bad where I didn't get what I paid for, seller is an admitted liar and actually sold the item to someone else. Regardless, during his lying episode he claimed someone else received his mail. NO PROBLEM, or so I thought, I'll just march down to my post office with receipt in hand, and ask for a form 6401 "Money Order Inquiry" just like USPS.com says, and find out if it has been cashed.
What I found out is that the USPS cannot trace or replace a money order for 60 days after the sale. So this means a scammer can literally make off with your money, and can be long gone before you even find out. Sure, there is a paper trail, but anyone in law enforcement will tell you "time is of the essence".
In my case, this seller/scammer claims he took my envelope and had the clerk write "refused: return to sender" but nothing has materialized. Since he has no proof of this, and his post office could not verify. I have no way to know. I can only assume he has it and is either holding out or has cashed it. Since there is a pattern of deception in the dealings on the seller's part, I can only assume this is more of the same.
So, lesson learned is you are just as at risk sending some stranger a USPS money order than cash. Learn from my mistake, which is a several hundred dollar one. If a seller says "no Paypal" there is usually a reason. Not intending to turn this into a debate and I won't name the seller as per the forum rules, this did not take place on RR, I will refrain from any references to where, but if you know me you can figure out who the good guy and bad guys are. :lol:
Most of my dealings online have been flawless, this was the first one to go bad. I've used USPS money orders before on occasion, and always THOUGHT "you are protected" but the reality is they are no better than sending a personal check. At least with that you could place a stop payment at the first sign of something going south.
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