Cels Forum

I've had to deal with lost money orders before - here's the
lowdown - it works the same for both domestic and international:

If your receipt is lost, there is absolutely nothing the
post office can do to help you. They keep track of when
money ordes are bought (by number and dollar amount) but
they don't keep track of who bought it or where it went.

If you DO have the receipt, to get any kind of protection
you have to have filled in *BOTH SIDES* with addresses so
that the writing on the MO receipt is in carbon copy print.
(Thus indicating that the original was written on too.)
They will not accept a receipt that has original writing on
it for the addresses. (Other notations, like what it was
used for, can be written in original writing.)

If you have the receipt *AND* both sides were filled in,
you need to take the receipt to any post office. Tell them
you believe it lost and need to see if it was cashed. You
show them the receipt and fill out a small form that needs
to be mailed to a central office which handles the MOs. It
will cost you $2.25 to do this!!

Sixty days after the date of purchase on the MO, you will
receive a notification in the mail which will say one of
two things: 1) that the MO was cashed or 2) that it has not
been cashed. With the notification you will receive a copy
of the MO including the signature of the person who cashed
it (in the former case) or a replacement MO (in the latter
case).

If the money order was cashed, and the signature does not
match the signature of the indended receipient (the person
whose name and address are represented on the "to" side)
then the MO will be declared stolen and you will be issued
a new one because USPS MOs are insured agasint theft. (I
don't know how long this takes, I've only had MOs lost,
never stolen.)

NOTE! You will hear NOTHING until the sixty days is up.

NOTE ALSO! It doesn't apply here, but if anyone does
something like Yann suggests - asking for a Japanese MO to
send to a country other than Japan - I HIGHLY RECOMMEND you
play extremely stupid when they tell you that the MO you
have written out is the inappropriate one. It is illegal to
buy a Japanese MO and send it to a country other than Japan
and the same applies to sending domestic MOs to foreign
countries. Even though it "works" to send them that way,
you could get in a lot of trouble. (Frankly, if I were ever
to lose a MO under either of those circumstances, I
wouldn't say a thing unless a lot of money were involved.
I'd eat my mistake and avoid troubling trouble.)

That's what goes on with lost money orders. Everything
hinges on that receipt, so you'll have to find it. If you
can't, but you can remember the *EXACT* date of purchase
and *EXACT* amount of the MO, try going to a large post
office and talking to the local postmaster. He/she might be
able to help you but the chances are slim. You might have a
bit more luck if you have the addresses, but I've honestly
never tried filing for a lost MO without a receipt.

Good luck!!

Many Sharp Smiles,
--Drac