How to send Cash | WIRED

So you need to send some money. Maybe you want to slip a couple of $20 bills into a birthday card. Maybe it’s a bigger payment for some not-at-all sketchy services, apart from borrowed books. However, it can be a pain to send paper money without having to worry that it might mysteriously slip out of your envelope and into someone else’s pocket.

“Sending cash physically via mail or something is probably one of the least efficient options for moving money around,” says Kevin L. Matthews, a financial advisor who has offered money advice for WIRED first. “It’s not necessarily something I recommend.”

The problem, he says, is that if something goes wrong and the money goes missing, there’s really nothing you can do. There are better ways to transfer finances, but if you need to get your coins from one piggy bank to another, here are the best ways to do it without getting ripped off.

Don’t get scammed

To be clear in advance, you should not just stick a piece of money in the mail and hope for the best. There is a very high chance that it will be lost, stolen, or otherwise end up in the hands of someone you don’t intend to.

And on this last point, if you are sending someone any kind of payment, ask yourself these basic questions: Do you personally know the individual you are sending money too? Have you checked the agency that claims to deliver your dough to the right place? Is there a fine print? Does the method to send money seem too good to be true? If any of these questions give you pause, it’s probably a scam.

Scams evolve quickly, says Matthews, and become harder to detect all the time. “Rule number one is, never send money to anyone you don’t know. And don’t be afraid to call and check. It’s always an option. Pay attention to the details, check the information, and just make sure that this makes sense. Because usually, once the money goes out the door, there’s absolutely no coming back.”

There are many ways to protect yourself and your loved ones being ripped off and protect yourself from AI scam calls. (Grandma, I promise you, Charter.bot text asking to send gift cards is not a legitimate way to pay your cable bill.)

Paper trail

There are ways to send money securely. If you’re just sending a small amount, like slapping a five on a birthday card, using the regular mail system is probably fine. You have the risk of losing, as with everything you mail. But if you care about the money coming where it should go, you should secure it or send a money order.

In the United States, you are allowed to send money up to $500 without having to register with the United States Postal Service. It’s not technically illegal to send more than that through the US Mail, but it’s still not a good idea. If you need to send money and don’t mind Uncle Sam knowing, you can secure your package for a value of up to $50,000. There are a couple of caveats, though.