A practical family guide
Federal Prison Money-Sending Guide for Families
Verify the person, facility, current BOP deposit method, and recipient details before sending money—and pause when a request cannot be independently confirmed.
This guide is for families and friends supporting someone in a Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP)-managed facility. It explains what to verify before sending money; other federal, state, local, or private custody systems may use different procedures.
Last reviewed:
Procedures can change. BOP deposit methods, required fields, facility details, and restrictions can change. Treat the linked BOP instructions as the current source of truth and check them again each time you send money.
Open current BOP sending instructionsConfirm the person and facility first
Use the official BOP Inmate Locator to independently confirm that the person is listed in BOP custody and to check the location shown. Then use the BOP Locations directory to find the facility’s official page and contact details if you need to clarify where or how funds should be sent.
BOP-managed facilities and other custody systems may not use the same process. Do not treat a payment instruction, phone number, or link supplied only by an unexpected message as proof that the request is genuine.
Start with the current BOP deposit instructions
The BOP Community Ties page currently lists three ways to send funds to a person in a BOP-managed facility: MoneyGram, Western Union, and the United States Postal Service (USPS). Open the BOP page directly and follow the instructions for the route you choose.
A payment provider’s name in an unsolicited request does not authenticate the request. For phone and commissary context, see the separate Phone and Commissary Guide; this guide focuses on verifying a money deposit before it is sent.
Related reading: Phone and Commissary Guide.
Check the recipient information before you pay
Use the current BOP instructions for the person’s full committed name, eight-digit register number, and any route-specific fields. Recheck every character against the official instructions before submitting a payment or mailing an instrument.
BOP warns that incorrect information can cause a transaction to be rejected or, worse, cause funds to be deposited into the wrong account and not returned. Keep the receipt and the details you used so you can identify what was submitted if a problem occurs.
Know the USPS restrictions
The current BOP mail instructions say that cash and personal checks are not accepted. They identify money orders, U.S. government checks, certified or cashier’s checks, and a bank draft as the acceptable instruments listed for sending money through the mail.
Do not rely on an old envelope, a remembered rule, or a third party’s summary. Open the live BOP instructions before mailing anything and confirm that the instrument and recipient information still match what BOP requests.
Pause when the request is urgent or unusual
The FTC warns that family-emergency scams often use urgency, secrecy, and impersonation to pressure someone into sending money. Slow down if a person says you are the only one who can help, demands that you keep the request secret, or says you must use a route you cannot independently verify.
Verify through a separate channel: check BOP.gov yourself, contact another trusted family member, and compare the request with the current BOP instructions. If you cannot verify the person, facility, or payment details, stop before sending funds.
Before you send: a short checklist
Use this quick review immediately before a deposit. If any answer is unclear, pause and return to the official BOP sources rather than guessing.
- I independently confirmed the person and the BOP location.
- I opened BOP.gov myself instead of relying only on a received link.
- I matched the payment method and required fields to the current BOP instructions.
- I checked the current restrictions, including the USPS rules if mailing funds.
- I saved the receipt and the recipient details I submitted.
- I will stop and consider reporting the request if I cannot verify it.