Western Union Scams Class Action Settlement

Updated: September 2, 2022

Claim Form Deadline: Passed

Estimated Payout: Varies

Proof required: Yes

Method of payment: Mailed Check

What's This Settlement About?

A fund of $586,000,000 has been created to compensate victims of fraud schemes that used Western Union. On January 19, 2017, Western Union entered into an agreement with the United States Department of Justice. Western Union acknowledged responsibility for its criminal conduct, which included violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and aiding and abetting wire fraud. Western Union has agreed to forfeit $586 million, which has been made available to compensate victims of the international consumer fraud scheme. Western Union simultaneously resolved a parallel civil investigation with the Federal Trade Commission.

The scheme, investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, involved the targeting of consumers by fraudsters through multiple scams. These scams included the infamous "Grandparent Scam", where the fraudster would pose as the victim's relative in need of immediate money to avoid personal harm, the lottery or sweepstakes scams, where the fraudster would tell the victim that they had won a large cash prize but had to pay fees such as taxes to claim the prize.

Another scheme that was perpetrated using Western Union was the "Romance scam", where the fraudster would pose as an online love interest and request funds for a visit or for another purpose. In each of these scams the fraudsters convinced their victims to send money through Western Union, and no victims received the promised cash, prize, or promoted item.

How Do I Qualify?

You may be eligible for payment if you sent a money transfer through Western Union between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017, and were the victim of fraud. All wire transfers made within and outside of the United States made through Western Union between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017, may be eligible for remission.

What Can I Get?

The amount you receive will be based on the eligible amount you lost minus any refund you have already received. Your payment will be based only on the amount of the money transfer.

How Do I File a Claim?

You will need to file a petition that will include the details of your transaction, such as the 10-digit Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) which is the identifier of any Western Union transfer that is claimed to have been part of fraud or a scheme. You will also need to provide your personal details that match the transaction holder's name. The deadline to submit a claim has now been extended to August 31, 2022. The petition must be completed or postmarked before August 31, 2022. You can click on the button below to fill the form out online, or mail any official notice you received to:

United States v. The Western Union Company
PO Box 43532
Providence RI 02940-3532

Note that you are not required to be a United States citizen or in the United States to file.