Western Union Remission Phase 2

On January 19, 2017, the Western Union Company (Western Union) entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the United States. Pursuant to the DPA, Western Union acknowledged responsibility for its criminal conduct, which included violations of the Bank Secrecy Act and aiding and abetting wire fraud, and agreed to forfeit $586 million, which has been made available to compensate victims of the international consumer fraud scheme through the remission process. Western Union simultaneously resolved a parallel civil investigation with the Federal Trade Commission.

The scheme, investigated by the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, involved the targeting of consumers by fraudsters through multiple scams. These scams included the grandparent scam, where the fraudster would pose as the victim’s relative in need of immediate money to avoid personal harm, the lottery or sweepstakes scams, where the fraudster would tell the victim that they had won a large cash prize but had to pay fees such as taxes to claim the prize, and the romance scams, where the fraudster would pose as an online love interest and request funds for a visit or for another purpose. In each of these scams the fraudsters convinced their victims to send money through Western Union, and no victims received the promised cash, prize, or promoted item.

The money paid by Western Union will be made available to victims through a process called "remission." The remission process is governed by the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 28, Part 9. If you filed a Petition for Remission detailing the loss amount, DOJ’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section will compare the requests to Western Union’s records and decide whether to grant the petition. After DOJ has reviewed all petitions, approved petitioners will get payment for some or all of their approved loss.

You may be eligible for a remission payment if you sent a money transfer through Western Union between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017, and were the victim of fraud. 

To apply, you must file a Petition of Remission. We mailed many victims petitions with pre-populated loss amounts. Those forms can be returned online or in the mail to the Remission Administrator.  If you didn’t get a pre-filled petition, you may file a petition electronically at www.westernunionremissionphase2.com or call to have a petition form mailed to you.

If your recognized loss amount is less than the amount you claimed in your petition, and you believe the determination is incorrect, you may request a  reconsideration of the decision. Please contact us at [email protected]. Please do not complete the Petition for Remission form if you previously filed a petition.

No. If you previously filed a petition, you are not eligible to file a new petition. 

If your recognized loss amount is less than the amount you claimed in your petition, and you believe the determination is incorrect, you may request a  reconsideration of the decision. Please contact us at [email protected]. Please do not complete the Petition for Remission form if you previously filed a petition.

If you previously filed a petition, no further action is required. You are not eligible to file a new petition.

You have been identified as a potential victim of the Western Union fraud scheme underlying the $586 million forfeiture.

The amount you receive will be based on the eligible amount you lost minus any refund you have already received. Your payment will be based only on the amount of the money transfer. You cannot recover collateral expenses such as Western Union fees, incidental losses, or transfers sent through other businesses are not recoverable through the remission process.              

If your petition is approved, it must be reviewed by the Treasury Offset Program 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.

If you are not a U.S. Citizen and do not have a Social Security Number (SSN) or Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN), please indicate on the petition provided. Please check "I am not a U.S. Citizen".

No. You are not required to be a United States citizen or in the United States to file a petition.

If you do not submit a Petition for Remission, you will not get a payment.

If you disagree with the loss amount printed on your petition, fill out the information on the Supplemental Transaction Form included in the petition and supply documentation to support your claim.  Acceptable documentation includes the Western Union money transfer send form and receipt and information detailing the fraud. Please do not send original documents.  Please keep a copy of the Supplemental Transaction Form and your supporting documentation for your records.

The Consumer Fraud Report Loss is based on the fraud losses you reported to Western Union resulting from money transfers made within the period of eligibility (January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017).  If you received a petition that includes a recognized loss amount, your Consumer Fraud Report Loss is identified in the Consumer Fraud Report box and your reported transactions are detailed on the Transaction Summary page.

If you reported losses to Western Union, the Consumer Fraud Report Loss is used to calculate the amount of your remission payment.  The payment is based only on the amount of the money transfer(s) and does not include collateral expenses such as wire transfer fees, incidental losses, or transfers sent through other companies.

 The Transaction Total is the total number of fraudulent transactions you made through Western Union, according to our records.

If you agree with the Consumer Fraud Report Loss, please check the “Agree: I have reviewed the enclosed Transaction Summary and agree with the amount listed above.” circle in the Consumer Fraud Report section, sign, date, print your name and complete the Social Security Number section on the form. The Consumer Fraud Report Loss amount will be used as your loss amount for processing your petition for remission.

If you agree with your Consumer Fraud Report Loss and Transaction Total, you do not need to complete the Supplemental Transaction Form. Please keep a copy of the Supplemental Transaction Form and your supporting documentation for your records.

If you agree with your Consumer Fraud Report Loss and Transaction Total, please check the circle “Disagree- I disagree with the amount listed above and have filled out the enclosed Supplemental Transaction Form” on the Consumer Fraud Report section. Then complete the Supplemental Transaction Form.

All wire transfers made within and outside of the United States made through Western Union between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017, may be eligible for remission.

You may file a petition online at www.WesternUnionRemissionPhase2.com using the PIN and Claim ID provided on the first page of the letter received and upload your documentation or mail the petition to:

United States v. The Western Union Company

P.O. Box 8060

San Rafael, CA 94912-8060

The Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN) is a ten-digit unique number assigned to your transfer. For money transfers initiated at WU.com or in the Western Union app, the MTCN is available on the email confirmation for the money transfer. For money transfers initiated in person, the MTCN is available on the printed receipt.

You will need to visit the Western Union website and request a Copy of Money Transfer Receipt. You will complete the form and click “Submit.” The information will be mailed to you once all elements are received approximately within 7-14 days.

The link can be found on the Western Union Remission website: (https://www.westernunion.com/self-service-form/carf-form)

According to the Western Union website, you can request a receipt by completing and accurately filling out the transactional history request form:

1. Go to the Transactional History Request Form

2. Complete the form and click “Submit.”

Records are available going back 10 years, which is Western Union’s current record retention policy. 

Please submit documentation, such as customer receipts, to support your submission.

Please make sure that your amounts match the supporting documentation and convert to USD.

You can search online for historic currency exchange rates.

No, you do not need an attorney to file a petition.

No. The Department of Justice does not charge fees for you to participate in the remission process.

Yes. If the person who transferred money is deceased, please submit the petition in the name of the deceased, and include verification of the death and documents showing that you represent the estate.

If you did not receive a pre-populated petition form, please call us at 855-786-1048 to request a petition form be mailed to you.

You may file a petition online at www.WesternUnionRemissionPhase2.com using the PIN and Claim ID provided on the first page of the letter received and upload your documentation or mail the petition to:

United States v. The Western Union Company

P.O. Box 8060

San Rafael, CA 94912-8060

The amount you receive will be based on the eligible amount you lost minus any refund you have already received. Your payment will be based only on the amount of the money transfer. You cannot recover collateral expenses such as Western Union fees, incidental losses, or transfers sent through other businesses are not recoverable through the remission process.              

It will take up to one year or more to review and verify petitions and determine who is eligible to receive a payment.  Check www.WesternUnionRemissionPhase2.com for updates on the status of the process.

A Form-1099 or other tax form is not included with the payment.  If you have any questions about potential tax issues as a result of this award, we recommend that you consult a professional tax consultant. We cannot provide you with tax advice and your inquiries on that subject will not receive a response.

For the latest information about the remission process:

•           Check the website www.WesternUnionRemissionPhase2.com

•           Email [email protected]

•           Or call (855)786-1048