Thus, individuals who lost money to fraudsters who told them to pay via Western Union’s money transfer system between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017 can now file a claim to get their money back by going to FTC.gov/WU before February 12, 2018.
The FTC says some people who have already reported their losses to Western Union, the FTC, or another government agency will receive a form in the mail, which will have a Claim ID and a PIN number to use when filing a claim online via FTC.gov/WU. The agency emphasized that filing a claim is free, so consumers should not pay anyone to file a claim on their behalf.
Scammers tend to rely on money transfer businesses like Western Union and MoneyGram because once the money is sent and picked up by the recipient the transaction is generally irreversible. Such tricks include transfers made for fraudulent lottery and prizes, family emergencies, advance-fee loans, and online dating, among others.
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