Consumer Alert
Western Union refund alert
The deadline to ask for your money back from the FTC’s settlement with Western Union is now May 31, 2018. That’s the settlement refunding people the money that scammers had them pay using Western Union between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017. We have some tips on how to file your claim, answers to questions, and where to start filing your claim online. But, based on some recent questions – and because we’ve heard about some people making promises they can’t deliver – we wanted to give you some practical tips on how to get your claim in.
- Don’t pay anybody to help you file your claim or get your money back. It’s free to file your claim. It’s free to get your refund. That’s true whenever the government returns money to you. You. Don’t. Have. To. Pay.
- You can do it yourself. There’s no need to hire a lawyer to file the claim for you. Start at FTC.gov/WU to file your claim online. The claim form is not too hard – we promise. Just put in as much information as you have, upload any documents you still have, and submit.
- You can mail in your claim. You don’t have to file online. Print out a blank claim form – or have someone help you print it – fill it out, attach copies of any documentation you might have, and send it to: United States v. The Western Union Company, PO Box 404027, Louisville, KY 40233-4027.
- Nobody can get your refund to you more quickly. There’s no short-cut or special access. You file your claim and then you wait for the Department of Justice to have all the claims in, validate them, and return the money. It might take a year, but nobody can help you get it any faster.
If anyone tells you the only way to get your money back is through them, or they try to charge you to get your money back, stop. That’s a scam, so tell the FTC.
Search Terms
In reply to I just now today, March 7, by jacci dee
You can help law enforcement by reporting the email to the FTC at FTC.gov/Complaint. There is a place within the complaint form for you to paste an email that you copied. The information you give goes into a secure database that law enforcement uses for investigations.
In reply to So does the extension to the by birdiegolfer1961
No, claims are not on standby. Claims are reviewed as they arrive.
In reply to The amount that I agreed to by concerned aussie
If your claim is approved, you will receive a check. The US Department of Justice has not yet decided whether it will issue checks in any currency other than US dollars.
In reply to If your claim is approved, by FTC Staff
In reply to What happens if I was frauded by 40grandscam
If you used Western Union to send money to a scammer between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017, you can file a claim to get your money back. Go to FTC.gov/WU for more information about the claim filing process and to begin filing a claim. You must file a claim by May 31, 2018.
In reply to My elderly father was scammed by 40grandscam
If your father used Western Union to send money to a scammer between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017, he can file a claim to get his money back. Go to FTC.gov/WU for more information about the claim filing process and to begin filing a claim.
He must file a claim by May 31, 2018.
In reply to so if I just got scam on the by pudd123
If you used Western Union to send money to a scammer between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017, you can file a claim to get your money back.
You can report a scam that happened after those dates to the FTC at FTC.gov/complaint and to Western Union's Fraud Hotline at 800-448-1492.
In reply to I was scammed twice by two by cheesecake565
You can call the refund administrator, Gilardi & Co, to ask about that. Call 844-319-2124.
In reply to It's Been A Year Since I by P. Johnson
The refund program from the US Department of Justice started in November 2017, five months ago. If you filed a claim for a refund from the US Department of Justice, you can get information at FTC.gov/WU.
It may take up to a year to process and verify people’s claims about refunds from the US Department of Justice, and determine who is eligible to get a payment. The FTC will put news on the FTC.gov/WU page when there is new information.
In reply to What if it happened after by Paula in pa
If you used Western Union to send money to a scammer after January 19, 2017, you are not eligible to file a claim for a refund.
You can report a scam that happened after January 19, 2017 to the FTC at FTC.gov/complaint and to Western Union's Fraud Hotline at 800-448-1492.
In reply to How will we personally know by thank you
The US Department of Justice must review the claims that people filed. It might take one year or longer to review the claims and determine who is eligible to get a payment. We will put information at FTC.gov/WU when we have news about the refunds process.
In reply to The US Department of Justice by FTC Staff
In reply to yes, but as you mentioned by thank you
The claims are reviewed as they come in. After all the claims are reviewed, the US Department of Justice will make decisions to approve or deny claims. Then it will work through an appeal process for the claims that were denied. Payments won't begin until the appeal process for the claims that were denied is concluded.
In reply to can i claim from ontario by Don't use your…
Yes, you can file a claim from Ontario Canada. You must file a claim by May 31, 2018. Go to FTC.gov/WU to start the process.
In reply to Is there any way to check to by mbenne11
You can contact the refund administrator and ask if it received your claim form. The contact information is on this page.
In reply to I submitted my claim ages ago by Need to confirm
You can contact the refund administrator and ask how to add information to your claim. The refund administrator's contact information is on this page.
In reply to If you owe child support will by Shortstuff
The US Department of Justice refund administrator has questions and answers on its website, including this: If your claim is approved, the Treasury Offset Program must review it to verify that you do not owe any money to the federal government or certain state debts. If you owe money, your payment will be used to pay your debt. If your payment is more than the amount you owe, you will get the remainder.
In reply to I have several claims. by Gina20
No, you can't make a proper claim by sending copies of the transactions. The deadline to file is May 31, 2018 - two weeks from today.
You can file a claim online, or by printing a paper form and sending it to the US by postal mail. You don't have to be a US citizen or in the US to file a claim.
To file online, go to FTC.gov/WU. Read about the claim process. To file online, click the orange button near the top of the FTC.gov/WU page to connect to the claim filing website.
In reply to Hi, I was scammed for $800.00 by Daschmidt
If you used Western Union to send money to a scammer between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017, you can file a claim to get your money back. Go to FTC.gov/WU to file a claim. The deadline to file a claim is May 31, 2018.
Each person’s claim must be verified by DOJ. If your claim is verified, the amount you get will depend on how much you lost and the number of people who submit valid claims. If you owe money to the federal government or for certain state debts, your refund could be reduced by the amount you owe.
In reply to My claims are 10/6/17 to 1/24 by Got burned
You can report the loss to the FTC at FTC.gov/Complaint and to the wire transfer company you used. You can call the Western Union Fraud Hotline at 800-448-1492 or MoneyGram Customer Care Center at 1‑800‑926‑9400. If the scammer contacted you through a website, for example a product sales or social media website, you can report the problem to that site.
In reply to I mailed my claim in January by Awill08
You can contact the refund administrator to ask about your claim. The contact information is on this page. And save a link to FTC.gov/WU. We have useful information for claimants, and we'll update the page when there is news.
pls can you help me to bring all money.i scam with bennyhinn fb.last dec.to jan..can you help me...
In reply to pls can you help me to bring by monina.
If you used Western Union to send money to a scammer between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017, you can ask for money back. You must file a claim by May 31, 2018.
If you sent money after January 19, 2017, you can report that to the FTC at FTC.gov/Complaint and to the wire transfer company you used. Call the Western Union Fraud Hotline at 800-448-1492 or MoneyGram Customer Care Center at 1‑800‑926‑9400. If the scammer contacted you through a website, for example a product sales or social media website, you can report the problem to that site.
I sent money to delivery company and after that the company asked me to change the receiver i went to the western union office to change bout they said that the money already received and i asked the company they said we did not received the money I just want to know the money has been received or refunded ?? Please answer
In reply to I sent money to delivery by Ahmed
You can ask the Western Union office about the money transfer. The FTC does not have information about your money transfer.
In reply to Hello. I filled the claim by Karina
You can contact the refund administrator to ask about your claim. The contact information is on this page. And save a link to FTC.gov/WU. We have useful information about the process and will update the page when there is news.
In reply to I was scammed when I tried to by Chesseesmile
You can report the scammer to the money transfer service.
In reply to When will the money be paid by Lmmc03
To ask about your claim, contact Gilardi & Co, the company that is managing the refund process for the US Department of Justice, at 844-319-2124 or info@WesternUnionRemission.com .