# We have a mystery brewing here at work …

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-mystery-brewing-here-at-work/346506>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [February 28, 2006, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-mystery-brewing-here-at-work/346506 "2006-02-28T20:09:20Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-mystery-brewing-here-at-work/346506/41 "2006-03-01T17:44:48Z")

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> [@What Exit?](#):
>
> Why would a company accept a Money order then?  
> It sounds like they are worth little more than an IOU.

A money order is a check. Which is little more than an IOU. 🙂 Except that a money order has to be paid for up front, whereas a personal check may or may not have funds to back it up. Because of that, a money order is generally a safer bet.

Which is not to say it can’t be forged or stolen. The issuing bank should be able to verify it, as all money orders have serial numbers and can be traced back to a specific teller.

I suspect that a possible reason for the odd amount is that money orders have a limit on the amount, presumably $1000 in this case.

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**Author:** ![eleanorigby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee7513/32.png) [@eleanorigby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eleanorigby)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-mystery-brewing-here-at-work/346506/42 "2006-03-01T17:57:54Z")

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> [@What Exit?](#):
>
> I can help with one of the Paper Moon scams.
> 
> Jim

I remember that one, now and I understood it. I also got that he was basically gouging people on the Bibles. But as for the rest (and forget the Sting–it could be that since I watched it first as a 10 year old, it is forever helplessly confused in my brain. Good music,though).

But thanks.  
As for the money orders–I am not that gullible! I would tend to just throw it all away on suspicion alone (I met shred it instead).  
Is it me or are most of these scams for really petty amounts? I’m not sneezing at 2K, but seriously, do people really rake in the dough with this stuff?

:eek:

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**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\
**Post date:** [March 1, 2006, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/we-have-a-mystery-brewing-here-at-work/346506/43 "2006-03-01T18:23:01Z")

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They’d find an obituary in the paper. Then they’d gold leaf the deceased’s name on the bible and go to the house, claiming that this person had ordered an expensive personalized bible before they died. The widow is so thrilled and touched by getting something from their recently lost husband that they willing pay a huge amount for a cheap bible.

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