Hi everyone,

I have a brother who wants to send me a good amount of money as a gift, but there are concerns about sending a check through the mail ... recently, down here, there's been a rash of mailed envelopes containing checks where the checks are getting deposited by someone other than the recipient (either the envelopes are getting opened by postal workers or people are getting ahold of the envelopes somehow-- I think they're rifling through peoples' mailboxes).

So, I'm thinking he could send me the money electronically rather than through the mail, but... here's the thing... this particular sibling is non-tech savvy and also highly judgment-impaired due to some disabilities, and so my mother is firmly against him having a PayPal, Venmo, or anything set up in such a way that he could be sending money to random people.

Can anyone think of a solution to this? (One idea I've had, I'm wondering if there's any way we could set up PayPal such that, for any transaction to actually go through, it would have to be first approved by a third-party, either myself or my mother...)

TiA

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

[www.westernunion.com]

Is there a branch of your bank in his area? If you give him your account number he may be able to deposit a check into your account at a teller window. I've done that in past years, not sure if anything has changed to prevent it, either banking rules, or COVID restrictions for teller access.

Depending on the amount, why not just a wire transfer? Depending on your banks, there could be fees involved however, so it may not be worth it, which is why it may only be worth it at a certain point. Or, can one of your accounts be set up as an electronic transfer account in his online banking?

...or you could just FedEx the sh! t to him directly with a return packet enclosed.

I'd go FedEx too, that just seems the easiest way to go.

The deposit method works if your bank is in his area. Have him write the check to you as normal. Then endorse the back with your name and account info, fill out a deposit slip and go to the drive-through. It has to be a check as most banks are now asking for ID to deposit cash.

No branch?
Go to Wal-mart. They have both Wal-Mart to Wal-Mart (you have to go in to pick it up) and Moneygram. With Moneygram, you can go to a multitude of places and banks to pick it up. The same is true with Western Union.

You can also use the Moneygram app or web-site to send directly to your bank account, but that does require creating an account.

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.”
-- François de La Rochefoucauld

Growing older is mandatory. Growing up is optional.

have him iMessage you images of the check and you can deposit it electronically

....does your bank have branch near him.....??


.....as long as he has your account #, he can just go to teller and deposit into your account.....write the check out to 'cash' and he can deposit directly into your bank account.....

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I reject your reality and substitute my own!

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space-time
have him iMessage you images of the check and you can deposit it electronically

I would try this first. Works great with my Wells Fargo accounts.

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sekker

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space-time
have him iMessage you images of the check and you can deposit it electronically

I would try this first. Works great with my Wells Fargo accounts.

I remember scanning and uploading checks from my computer to capital one via the browsers. I just looked and that feature is no longer available, you need to use their mobile App. Also bank of America, wants you to use the App, I cannot find an option to scan and upload an image from computer. Not sure if they ever supported that.

Anyway, he could send money from his bank via Zelle. You don't need an account for that, and I think there is little his Mom can do to prevent him from sending money to random people, if he has online banking.

The best thing for him is to NOT have online banking.

Maybe.

Thanks everyone for ideas.

He's not very tech-savvy, and so does not have an iPhone. (In fact he's been looking for a new phone, because his flip phone has been malfunctioning, but my mom and I don't necessarily want him having an iPhone because we'd have to worry about him using apps, etc.) Otherwise, the iMessage idea would have been a good one.

Also, space-time is correct that it's probably NOT a good idea for him to have online banking, a PayPal, etc. That's why I was asking for low (or lower-) tech solutions to this. The less he has to do, the better, so I'm currently thinking wire transfer is the way to go... I've got his account numbers and obviously I have my own, so if I can do the whole thing myself without his having to lift a finger, that would be the best thing.

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

you CANNOT take money from his account even if you know his account number. If you could do that, anyone could take Money from your account every time you write a check.

Even if you link his account to your account to be able to transfer money (back and forth), he still needs to log in or call his bank to see the 2 small deposits required for confirmation. maybe that is the best way to do it, you link his account to your bank, he tells you the small deposits, you confirm his account, and then you can make transfers.

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space-time
you CANNOT take money from his account even if you know his account number. If you could do that, anyone could take Money from your account every time you write a check.

Even if you link his account to your account to be able to transfer money (back and forth), he still needs to log in or call his bank to see the 2 small deposits required for confirmation. maybe that is the best way to do it, you link his account to your bank, he tells you the small deposits, you confirm his account, and then you can make transfers.

Yes, of course, that's what I was thinking... again, if there's a simpler way to do this, I'm open to suggestions.

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

If his bank is national, you could open an account if you have a local one. He could do the deposit that way. His bank will be able to verify its you he’s giving the money to.

Have him mail it Certified or Registered Mail, or one of the FedEx or UPS options that require a signature. You’re NOT going to have random people sniffing around any of those options.

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deckeda
Have him mail it Certified or Registered Mail, or one of the FedEx or UPS options that require a signature. You’re NOT going to have random people sniffing around any of those options.

Yeah. Just go to the post office with the check in an envelope (unstamped) and have the clerk walk him through it at the counter. You can even buy a postal money order there.

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d4

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deckeda
Have him mail it Certified or Registered Mail, or one of the FedEx or UPS options that require a signature. You’re NOT going to have random people sniffing around any of those options.

Yeah. Just go to the post office with the check in an envelope (unstamped) and have the clerk walk him through it at the counter. You can even buy a postal money order there.

Bring the mask and gloves.

Chase charges you money to put money into someone else's account. Talk about griftin'.

Now, their bank has a service called Zelle that might be trusted, because it's embedded in the bank itself.

it is so hard to get money, isn't it?

Hmmm... you all are giving me some good ideas. I hadn't thought about the certified/registered mail idea, and that might appeal to him because he's obviously old-school. On the other hand, he's also high-risk and I'm not sure I like the idea of him having to go to the PO.

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Freya says, 'Hello from NOLA, baby!' (Laissez bon temps rouler!)

Identify a bank that has a branch both where you live and where he lives. Open a bare-bones account for yourself and send him a deposit slip so he can deposit a check in your account from the branch near him.

PM his name and address and I will facilitate the transaction

PeterB,

Have your brother give the money to someone who can paypal/Zelle/otherwise electronically transfer the money to you. Your mom is the first person to come to mind. Problem solved.

Robert