Delaware News

Deadline Approaching For Delaware Scam Victims Who Used Western Union To Claim Repayments

Consumer Protection | Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Date Posted: Friday, January 12, 2018


Delaware DOJ Seal

Delaware consumers who used Western Union from 2004 to 2017 to send money to scammers and lost their money are reminded they have a month to file a claim to get their money back under a legal settlement.

Under a settlement between Western Union and state attorneys general, including Delaware, anyone who was tricked by scammers into sending money by Western Union between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017 can go to www.ftc.gov/WU before February 12, 2018.

Some people who have already reported their losses to Western Union, the Federal Trade Commission, or another government agency will receive a form in the mail from the claims administrator, Gilardi & Co. The form will have a Claim ID and a PIN number to use when filing a claim online via FTC.gov/WU. Gilardi was hired by Justice Department, which is responsible for returning victims’ money as part of its settlement with Western Union.

Filing a claim is free, so consumers should not pay anyone to file a claim on their behalf. No one associated with the claims process will ever call to ask for consumers’ bank account or credit card number. If you lost or did not receive a claim form, there is also a link on www.ftc.gov/WU which will enable you to file.

The attached graphic from the FTC is a simple explanation of the claims process.

The settlement with Western Union came after state and federal consumer protection agencies alleged that fraudsters were able to use Western Union’s money transfer system to get payments from their victims, even though the company was aware of the problem and received hundreds of thousands of complaints about fraud-induced money transfers made for fraudulent lottery and prizes, family emergencies, advance-fee loans, online dating and other scams. The settlement announced in January 2017 required $586 million from Western Union to repay consumers, and required Western Union to develop and put into action a comprehensive anti-fraud program designed to help detect and prevent incidents where consumers wire money to scam artists.

Previous Announcements from the Delaware Department of Justice regarding the settlement and claims process can be found at https://news.delaware.gov/2017/01/31/wu/ and https://news.delaware.gov/2017/11/13/wus/.

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Deadline Approaching For Delaware Scam Victims Who Used Western Union To Claim Repayments

Consumer Protection | Department of Justice | Department of Justice Press Releases | Date Posted: Friday, January 12, 2018


Delaware DOJ Seal

Delaware consumers who used Western Union from 2004 to 2017 to send money to scammers and lost their money are reminded they have a month to file a claim to get their money back under a legal settlement.

Under a settlement between Western Union and state attorneys general, including Delaware, anyone who was tricked by scammers into sending money by Western Union between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017 can go to www.ftc.gov/WU before February 12, 2018.

Some people who have already reported their losses to Western Union, the Federal Trade Commission, or another government agency will receive a form in the mail from the claims administrator, Gilardi & Co. The form will have a Claim ID and a PIN number to use when filing a claim online via FTC.gov/WU. Gilardi was hired by Justice Department, which is responsible for returning victims’ money as part of its settlement with Western Union.

Filing a claim is free, so consumers should not pay anyone to file a claim on their behalf. No one associated with the claims process will ever call to ask for consumers’ bank account or credit card number. If you lost or did not receive a claim form, there is also a link on www.ftc.gov/WU which will enable you to file.

The attached graphic from the FTC is a simple explanation of the claims process.

The settlement with Western Union came after state and federal consumer protection agencies alleged that fraudsters were able to use Western Union’s money transfer system to get payments from their victims, even though the company was aware of the problem and received hundreds of thousands of complaints about fraud-induced money transfers made for fraudulent lottery and prizes, family emergencies, advance-fee loans, online dating and other scams. The settlement announced in January 2017 required $586 million from Western Union to repay consumers, and required Western Union to develop and put into action a comprehensive anti-fraud program designed to help detect and prevent incidents where consumers wire money to scam artists.

Previous Announcements from the Delaware Department of Justice regarding the settlement and claims process can be found at https://news.delaware.gov/2017/01/31/wu/ and https://news.delaware.gov/2017/11/13/wus/.

image_printPrint

Related Topics:  , , , , , ,


Graphic that represents delaware news on a mobile phone

Keep up to date by receiving a daily digest email, around noon, of current news release posts from state agencies on news.delaware.gov.

Here you can subscribe to future news updates.