Western Union - compenstion for fraud

[aernethril]

In case anyone hasn't seen this, it could be worth sharing around, especially if you know of anyone who was caught out.

It covers from as far back as 2004.and covers up to 19 January this year but note that there is not much time to get a claim in.  I've put that bit in red.

In the USA, the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed charges against Western Union who admitted to not doing enough to protect victims who were using its services. As a result, £437 million is being held by the US Government to reimburse victims of fraud that involved a wire transfer via Western Union.

Anybody in the UK who was a victim of fraud which involved making a Western Union wire transfer payment between 1st January 2004 and 19th January 2017 can apply for a refund.

How to apply for a refund

You can either apply online or by post until the 12th February 2018, so time is tight. The necessary forms can be found at:

http://www.westernunionremission.com/

• To apply online, fill in the Western Union remission claim form.
• To apply by post, download the claims form and send it to: United States vs the Western Union Company, PO Box 404028, Louisville, KY 40233-4028.

For more details, the DOJ has a list of frequently asked questions at

http://www.westernunionremission.com/frequently-asked-questions.aspx

Protect yourself

Although we have not yet received any reports, we believe that fraudsters will try to use this court settlement to commit further fraud against victims who are not aware of all the facts. Fraudsters are clever, so stay one step ahead by knowing what to look out for:

• Filing a claim is free, so don’t pay anyone to file a claim on your behalf.
• No one associated with the claims process will call to ask for your bank account or credit card number.
• Make sure you only apply through the official http://www.westernunionremission.com/ website.
• Challenge any calls, letters or emails from people you don’t know or anyone claiming to work on behalf of Western Union.
• You don’t have to pay to get your money back, nor should you need to use a claims firm.
• Action Fraud cannot claim money on your behalf.