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Counterfeit postal money orders have become increasingly common, and are being used to defraud unsuspecting people out of millions of dollars. Here are five ways you can instantly recognize counterfeit postal money orders, and keep from being scammed yourself.

Five Ways To Recognize Counterfeit Postal Money Orders

1. Real postal money orders are specially printed documents that have a number of security features, and also a high-quality feel. If a postal money order seems cheaply printed, or is on ordinary office paper, its likely the product of a color copying machine, and is a counterfeit.

2. All real postal money orders are watermarked with an image of Benjamin Franklin from top to bottom on the left side of the money order. No watermark means it's a forgery. You can check for the watermark by holding the money order up to the light.

3 While you're holding the postal money order up to the light look for a security thread in the form of a dark line running from top to bottom. If you look closely you'll see the line is made up of USPS repeated. No security thread means the postal money order is counterfeit.

4. Be wary of any discoloration, damage, or staining around the dollar amounts. When forgers change the dollar amounts of a real postal money order the security features remain in place, but it's very difficult for them not to change the color or texture of the money order around the dollar amounts in the process of changing the numbers.

5. Beware of the dollar amount limits of real postal money orders. The maximum for domestic postal money orders is $1,000, while international postal money orders are restricted to $700. If the amount of the postal order is larger than these limits, its not a legitimate postal money order.

Most counterfeit postal orders are made with color photocopiers and are easy to recognize if you keep these five tips in mind.

Learn more about this author, David Riel.
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