05-26-2016, 08:33 AM
(05-25-2016, 08:05 PM)Lunar Wrote: I thought I should add that I signed up not for the points but so the system would remember my address.100% agree my friend....100% i dont have an option to give rep points,but i def would love to give some
I had some other tips to share, some of which might help those that are getting declined.
Tip 1: Go in person to a location heavily populate by either immigrants or families likely to have relatives that are incarcerated. Every city has them and everybody knows where they are. (This has been mentioned before, thanks OP)
Tip 2: Make sure that location has automated terminals. Most probably do now a days.
Tip 3: USE ROUND NUMBERS. Western Union is for sending money to friends and family members, NOT for purchases. I mean, come on, how many times to you wire a family member in need of money $287.62? No, you don't, you send them an even $300.
Anecdote: Many years ago, when I was young and stupid and had no idea forums like this existed, I ordered from iops, taking not a single step towards anonymity. I used WU/MG online and my personal credit card to send random amounts of money all over the world to people with names and in countries and cities I had difficulty pronouncing. Inevitably I'd get a call from a very polite WU/MG rep asking me how I know Jinglemohobobadi Ursaminor? I'd reply in as confident a voice as I could muster, "Oh, me and Bobble-de-gook go way back, Bimble Jinglemodda needed some pesos so out of the kindness of my heart I sent him exactly 189.34 pesos." The kind rep inquired a few more questions and the conversation, that I thought well was over. But, if my payment wasn't declined it arrived with a LL from the LE.
So, work with your vendor by adding or subtracting a little to get to that nice round number.
Tip 4: (This one is especially useful for those who've been declined.) Create a Legal Entity like an LLC, Ficticious Name or Trust and get a phone number and email for it. voice.google.com offers free phone numbers. Setting up legal entities is easy, an LLC for example can be created in 10 minutes online. If you have another 10 minutes to spare you can even get it an EIN (it's like an SSN or SIN for ficticius entinites) and a bank account. Then when you go in person to the WU in a sketchy neighborhood and sit at the terminal, these are the credintials you use. In most cases because you are in a sketchy neighborhood finalizing the transaction with a hourly employee who hates their job and is more interested in the slowly moving clock than protocol or procedure, your business should be conducted without problem and you'll be out of there in less than 10 minutes.
But if the clerk does give you the third degree, you can either have your LLC's documentation ready to present, or what would probably work better is to simply let the clerk know that you're just a secratary and haven't the foggiest why your boss told you to come dome here and send the money. Or even better if you are operating out of a trust(which by the way is free and easier to set up than an LLC) you still play dumb but add that if she really wants to know politely inform her that she will need to her questions in the form of a written proposal to address the board of trustees, making sure to cite any and all legal authority to make such inquiries. Thank her kindly and while you play with your phone as if you are scheduling a hearing ask her if she will be attending in person or skype? Either way the cost is the same? (Forgive my rambling, I have fun with this kind of stuff.)
Tip 5: Have another mailing address that is not where you lay your head down at night. Mailbox Etc and UPS stores are nice because they are private street addresses and look like Suites. A lot of services don't like PO boxes but in most cases you can get around the automated check by placing the Post Office address in line one and the PObox number in the optional field, as well as other ways I'm sure.
Tip 6: USE CASH - no explanation needed for this one.
I think most of these tips have been mentioned in part on this thread and I'm sure the others have probably been discussed at one time or another elsewhere. Many thanks to the original posters.
I know the above sounds like a lot of work but not all 6 tips need implementation, though every little bit helps. But let's be honest governments the world over are going or have gone bankrupt, they are desperate for money, and let's face it a primary source of governmental income is taxation by citation. (I hate to utter such a nihilistic point of view but most beat cops in the US spend probaly 75% of their day as nothing more than a revenue collector) The Govt. is not stupid, they've been doing this a long time, they go after sure things, or as we've been calling it "low hanging fruit," especially if the fruit has a lot of assets to seize.