If you lost money to a scam using Western Union’s wire transfer services, you might be able to get your money back.
The U.S. Department of Justice is using a $586 million victim fund to offer compensation for fraud-induced transfers dating back to 2004.
Western Union admitted to processing hundreds of thousands of fraudulent wire transfer transactions as part of scams that directed people to wire money.
Some of the schemes involved someone posing as a family member in need of immediate financial help or the promise of prizes.
To be eligible to file a claim, the transfer had to occur between January 2004 and January 2017.
The compensation fund is a result of agreements Western Union has entered into with Kansas and 49 other states and the District of Columbia, as well as the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission.
This week, the DOJ began notifying more than 500,000 potential victims who may be eligible for compensation.
Additional information on how to file a claim is available on the Kansas attorney general’s consumer protection website at www.InYourCornerKansas.org. The deadline to file a claim is February 12, 2018.
--
Follow Deborah Shaar on Twitter @deborahshaar.
To contact KMUW News or to send in a news tip, reach us at news@kmuw.org.
