Beware of fraudsters who claim they recover money you’ve lost via Western Union

Victims who have been defrauded and paid scammers by Western Union are being warned to watch out for fraud recovery fraud after a multimillion-dollar settlement in the US.

What is fraud recovery fraud?

Fraud recovery fraud is when someone who has been a victim of fraud in the past is contacted again by fraudsters. They pretend to be a government, police or law agency that can help recover the lost money but ask for a fee to get it back. 

What does this multimillion-dollar settlement in the US mean?

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed charges against Western Union in the USA.

As a result, the US Government is holding £437 million (586 dollars) to reimburse victims of fraud involving a wire transfer via Western Union. 

Although Action Fraud has not received any reports, we believe that fraudsters will use this court settlement to commit fraud recovery fraud on victims unaware of all the facts.

Who can apply for a refund? 

We have confirmed with Western Union that anybody in the UK who was a victim of fraud, which involved making a wire transfer payment between 1st January 2004 and 19th January 2017, can apply for a refund.

How to protect yourself?

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. 
• Watch out for copycat websites. Ensure you only apply through the official website and do not apply for a refund elsewhere.
• Challenge any calls, letters or emails from people you don’t know or anyone claiming to work on behalf of Western Union. Remember, fraudsters will have victim contact details. 
• You don’t have to pay to get your money back or use a claims firm. 
• Action Fraud cannot claim money on your behalf.

Report fraud and cyber crime and receive a police crime reference number.

Article source - Action Fraud
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
8th December 2017