My Prison Pen Pal Is Asking For Money. Would it be Okay to Send a Little?

My Prison Pen Pal Is Asking For Money. Would it be Okay to Send a Little?

Prison pen pals can be fun. You get to know somebody through words alone and that can be enticing. Some pen pal relationships last for many years, while others fade away in a matter of months. There are several things to consider if your pen pal is asking you to send “some” money. Length of the relationship: If you and the inmate have only been writing back and forth for a few weeks or months, sending money would be foolish. There are inmates who make it a hobby to collect pen pals and then fake sincerity and interest in these friendships and con their pen pals out of money. Male and female inmates are guilty of this. If your pen pal really just wants a friend to share with, he will prove it by getting his book money through family and friends he knew before he went in. Asks often for money: You and he have been writing for a couple of years and last week he asked you to send $10 so he can buy holiday cards to send out. This may seem like a fair request to you. If however, every letter lately is filled with money requests that feel like demands it’s time to rethink this relationship. There is nothing wrong with sending a little something to a pen pal of several years if that is what you want to do. When the requests increase, either in amount of how often he wants funds sent, you need to be concerned and put an end to these requests. What to say: Tell him in your very next letter that you will not be sending money and it makes you uncomfortable to be asked. He will either respect this and stop asking, or he won’t and it will continue. Once you have told him to stop asking, walk away if he doesn’t comply. Final thoughts: Pen pal sites caution viewers about sending money early in the relationship because they receive complaints about inmates conning people out of hundreds of dollars. Enjoy the friendship, the sharing, the learning about each other. A pen pal relationship shouldn’t be about the money. Meet the man who writes to more than 550 people Website for prisoners seeking pen pals blasted by victims