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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.

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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.

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The purpose of this blog and its comments section is to inform readers about Federal Trade Commission activity, and share information to help them avoid, report, and recover from fraud, scams, and bad business practices. Your thoughts, ideas, and concerns are welcome, and we encourage comments. But keep in mind, this is a moderated blog. We review all comments before they are posted, and we won’t post comments that don’t comply with our commenting policy. We expect commenters to treat each other and the blog writers with respect.

  • We won’t post off-topic comments, repeated identical comments, or comments that include sales pitches or promotions.
  • We won’t post comments that include vulgar messages, personal attacks by name, or offensive terms that target specific people or groups.
  • We won’t post threats, defamatory statements, or suggestions or encouragement of illegal activity.
  • We won’t post comments that include personal information, like Social Security numbers, account numbers, home addresses, and email addresses. To file a detailed report about a scam, go to ReportFraud.ftc.gov.

We don't edit comments to remove objectionable content, so please ensure that your comment contains none of the above. The comments posted on this blog become part of the public domain. To protect your privacy and the privacy of other people, please do not include personal information. Opinions in comments that appear in this blog belong to the individuals who expressed them. They do not belong to or represent views of the Federal Trade Commission.

needtoknow
January 23, 2019
What if I moved? My claim from a year ago has my old address.
Boater356Don't…
February 04, 2019
I filed my claim over a year ago and I have not heard any information. I was curious if anyone knows a way to follow up and check on the status.
Cnorthrup
April 02, 2019
I too filed my claim well over a year ago. There have been no responses to my e-mails from either Gilardi or the Administrator at info @WesternUnion Remission. com regarding the status. When will refunds be issued?
FTC Staff
April 02, 2019

In reply to by Cnorthrup

Read updates on the refund process at FTC.gov/WU and Gilardi & Co.

People sent in more than 180,000 Western Union refund claims. Gilardi & Co. is reviewing and evaluating all the claims to determine eligibility. If information is missing from your claim, Gilardi & Co may contact you by mail to explain what is missing and to ask for more information. No payments will be sent until all the claims are reviewed.

Anthony Daniels
April 05, 2019
I sent in a money order to be fixed that i would get my $400 back, It has been weeks. I want my money. # 17960006456 Anthony Daniels.
laquitaedering…
September 30, 2019
I sent $2600 to get a car back in 2010 and never received the car found out it was a scam I filled the form out back in December 2017 and haven't heard a word from the settlement since...
Peebles
March 09, 2020
Why have your apparently deleted consumer blog remarks past the middle of 2019? This will or could result in additional informational material to be reported to various Congressional people.
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