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CASHING MONEY ORDERS
As a money order clerk, you will also be cashing
postal money orders. Only USPS money orders may
be cashed at MPOs. Do not cash international money
orders or personal checks. EXCEPTION: Canadian
money orders may be cashed if they are drawn on the
United States and the amount is given in U.S.
currency. Money orders are valid for an indefinite
period.
IDENTIFICATION
Before you accept a money order for cashing, you
must identify the person whose name appears on the
“Pay To” line. Military personnel, their dependents,
and authorized U.S. citizen government employees are
provided with official identification cards (see chapter
1). Identification cards will identify the bearer by
photograph and signature. In those areas or under
certain circumstances where authorized personnel are
not issued official government identification cards,
U.S. passports may be accepted for identification.
Letters, club membership cards, social security cards,
driver’s permits, or similar items may NOT be
accepted as proof of identity.
SIGNATURE REQUIREMENTS
The payee of a money order must sign the
instrument in the presence of the accepting clerk. You
may accept any signature of the person cashing the
money order that is not different from the name given
on the order. Money orders payable to organizations,
societies, government agencies, and so forth, must be
signed by a representative authorized to do so. You
may require proof that the person is an authorized
representative of that agency. The representative must
sign the money order with his or her own name and
organizational title.
Use of such titles as Dr., Capt., Sgt., MCPO, or
Mrs., is not required in signing a money order for
payment, even if the title is used on the face of the
money order.
Customers who cannot write may sign by using a
mark (usually an X) if a witness is present. The witness
cannot be a person assigned to postal duties.
A money order completed by the purchaser to
show more than one person as the payee will be paid as
follows:
If the conjunction “or” is used to connect the
payees, either payee may cash the order.
If no conjunction is used, or if the conjunction
“and” is used to connect the payees, then all the
listed payees must sign the order.
TRANSFER OF MONEY ORDERS
Only the person whose name appears on the “Pay
To” line of a money order may endorse it to another
person or a firm. To endorse the money order over to
another person or firm the following actions must be
taken:
The intended payee’s name is written on the back
of the money order on the “Pay To” line.
The person transferring the money order signs
under
the
words
ENDORSEMENT
SIGNATURE.
The person to whom the order was transferred
will then sign under the original payee’s
signature at the time it is presented for cashing.
MONEY ORDER CASHING PROCEDURES
Money orders presented for payment should be
cashed if you have sufficient funds in your money
order account. If you do not have sufficient funds in
your account, refer the customer to a local bank or
suggest that they return later in the business day.
When a money order is presented for cashing:
Check the person’s identification. Make sure the
person presenting the money order for payment
is the purchaser, payee, or first endorsee. If a
passport is used as identification by authorized
personnel who are not issued official
government ID cards, enter the passport number
on the back of the money order.
Check to see if the money order has been
changed. If alterations are noted, do not cash the
money order. Also check for watermark (picture
of Benjamin Franklin) and security threads.
Check the serial number of the money order
against the latest lost or stolen money order list
(see figure 8-24). Note that the list shows only
the first 10 digits of the serial number. A new,
lost, or stolen money order list is published
periodically in the Postal Bulletin. Each new list
should be removed from the Postal Bulletin and
posted at the money order window to replace the
old list.
8-36
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