Advice Needed: Sending Monetary Gift Through U.S. Mail

officerripley

officerripley

Well-known Member
Location
Porlock, Calif
Hi, I can't find it now but I know there was a thread here on SF about how the monetary gift cards had been hacked into even worse than usual this year. (A clerk in a store here in town told me the same thing, said they had told her to warn customers.)

So we want to send money to our newspaper carrier and since the monetary gift cards are not a good idea, how would you all do it? Huzz says just stick some money inside a Christmas card and try our luck, but IDK. Would a check be safer you think?
 

I send checks to pay bills and will send one to our Plow Guy. I figure that people who steal mail will look through an envelope to see if a check shape is in there. I have been successful by folding it in half and, using scotch tape to carefully tape it to the inside of a card using the very edge of the check (so it can be removed by the recipient and not torn). Not sure that is fool proof but worth a try.
ALSO - make sure you mail the card INSIDE the Post Office - do not drop it in a box.
 
Check? Really? If it's intercepted by a mail thief they have all they need (bank's routing #, your account #, and while we're at it, your name and address) to hack your bank account and your credit as well. I'd take my chances with cash with a note and not in a Christmas card. A Christmas card is fair game for mail thieves. A regular letter size envelope is safer. Or...why not catch your carrier and just hand it to him/her?

Mailing a VISA/MC probably isn't a great idea.
 
I hate to say it but my husband was a mail carrieir and was also union rep for a very large area of Texas. It was his job to represent carriers who got into trouble in their jobs. Many of his cases involved workers who stole mail, they took things that seemed to have gift cards enclosed. They were always caught and lost their jobs but the stupid behavior never stopped.

I would suggest if you want to send a monetary gift or gift card it be sent by a carrier that requires a signature, including the post office. That will make it easier to track a person stealing.
 
dilettante said:
If it's that simple then why is check-washing such a high activity crime?
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I worked in printing my whole working life. At one time check fraud was easy for a criminal. That is no longer true. Checks these days are printed with many safety features to detour fraud. The problem remains with those institutions that accept checks. They fail to make sure to check the safety features listed on the check to make sure it is a valid document. If they accept and process the check that makes them responsible for the fraud. Everyone, both sides must practice due diligence to prevent fraud.
 
Georgiagranny said:
Check? Really? If it's intercepted by a mail thief they have all they need (bank's routing #, your account #, and while we're at it, your name and address) to hack your bank account and your credit as well. I'd take my chances with cash with a note and not in a Christmas card. A Christmas card is fair game for mail thieves. A regular letter size envelope is safer. Or...why not catch your carrier and just hand it to him/her?

Mailing a VISA/MC probably isn't a great idea.
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I'm not very bank literate. My wife always took care of banking. But, I'm curious about the details of how a crook could use the information on a check to hack your bank account. I promise I won't try it. In the past, we always wrote checks to pay our bills and never worried about it. We even wrote them in the market and other stores.
 
I work for USPS. I am not a mail carrier but I know a lot. Money orders are always the way to go. If someone steals it or if anything happens you can always get your money back if you held onto the receipt.

I was working on a DB in Automation few years back. We had a piece of mail jam up the belt that runs the letters. Literally was a card with $20 that got clean ripped in half. Nothing we can do about that.

So yeah. Absolutely avoid sending actual money money in the mail. I intend my post was helpful!
 
My neighbor lady across the street from me is 85 and alone. She always pays her bills with mailing checks. I've told her I'd be glad to mail them at the post office or take them to the local businesses for her but she puts them in her mailbox and puts the little red flag up for the mailman. So far, she's been lucky. All my bills are on auto pay on the computer. I set them up when we retired in 2001 and haven't had any problems. I don't use checks at all unless it's something that's being requested by a merchant, etc. I don't even carry my checkbook with me.
 
officerripley said:
Hi, I can't find it now but I know there was a thread here on SF about how the monetary gift cards had been hacked into even worse than usual this year. (A clerk in a store here in town told me the same thing, said they had told her to warn customers.)

So we want to send money to our newspaper carrier and since the monetary gift cards are not a good idea, how would you all do it? Huzz says just stick some money inside a Christmas card and try our luck, but IDK. Would a check be safer you think?
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I've sent money in greeting cards in the past, and never had an issue with it. If it's a large amount, I send a check.
 
Colleen said:
My neighbor lady across the street from me is 85 and alone. She always pays her bills with mailing checks. I've told her I'd be glad to mail them at the post office or take them to the local businesses for her but she puts them in her mailbox and puts the little red flag up for the mailman. So far, she's been lucky. All my bills are on auto pay on the computer. I set them up when we retired in 2001 and haven't had any problems. I don't use checks at all unless it's something that's being requested by a merchant, etc. I don't even carry my checkbook with me.
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There are still some bills I get in the regular mail and pay with checks. I don't use my mailbox with the flag for mailing anything important though, I take it to the post office. We get a lot of different mail carriers, and I don't always trust they will take my envelope out and properly mail it to the business. Back in the day, I felt more comfortable doing it, because we had a regular mail man who was very responsible and efficient.

You're very kind to offer to take her mail to the post office. I'm sure she doesn't want to put you out, I would feel the same, but it would be better for her.
 
SeaBreeze said:
There are still some bills I get in the regular mail and pay with checks. I don't use my mailbox with the flag for mailing anything important though, I take it to the post office. We get a lot of different mail carriers, and I don't always trust they will take my envelope out and properly mail it to the business. Back in the day, I felt more comfortable doing it, because we had a regular mail man who was very responsible and efficient.

You're very kind to offer to take her mail to the post office. I'm sure she doesn't want to put you out, I would feel the same, but it would be better for her.
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She can't drive any more so She has a couple of us neighbors that look out for her. My late husband use to get her newspaper for her out of the box (we have to go across the road to get mail) and put it between her doors. He did the same thing with her mail. I've been doing that now since he died. She has most of her groceries delivered. She's very stubborn and has always been independent so she won't take "charity". I love her to death. She's a sweetheart.
 
My advice is never ever do it. And if mailing a check, make sure to use the ink that cannot be altered and don't put it in a gift card sized envelope. Use envelopes that prevent seeing through (if possible) or wrap the check in blank paper. Western Union costs too much and it may be inconvenient to find a location to pick up the money. One time my husband had a devil of a time because for some reason the clerk did not want to accept his ID.

Unfortunately a lot of people are leery of using apps like Cash App in which the money can be deposited in a person's account anywhere from immediately (small fee) to 3 days. But like anything other financial institution, there are measures in place to protect your accounts and access to the app's features such as two factor identification. People who have had bad experiences (mostly with Venmo) did not take advantage of those features.

@SeaBreeze It's a good thing you haven't had problems with sending money in the past. Postal clerks have been known to steal envelopes, especially when they are card sized. Also, don't know if this happens in your area, but in mine, people have been going into the mail boxes that sit on the street and stealing mail. For that reason I always mail whatever I have to mail using the slot inside the post office.
 
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