What to Know
- Wire fraud victims have until 11:59 PM on Thursday, May 31 to apply for relief from the Western Union settlement fund
- Western Union agreed to pay $586 million to settle FTC charges that the money transfer service failed to protect consumers
- Claimants must provide documentation showing they lost money to wire fraud via a Western Union transaction
If you've ever wired money to a scammer, you have until Thursday to possibly get some of it back.
May 31 is the deadline to apply for a share of a special fund set aside for victims of wire fraud that involved Western Union.
The U.S. government accused Western Union of turning a blind eye to scammers who repeatedly used its money transfer service for fraud. Western Union admitted some wrongdoing, and reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.
That settlement created a pot of $586 million to compensate victims of wire fraud scams. The U.S. Department of Justice mailed 500,000 letters to potential fraud victims. Even if you didn't get a form in the mail, you can still apply online, at either of these websites:
Applicants must make their case by providing the date of loss and supporting documentation. If you plan to apply, give yourself plenty of time to complete the online forms ahead of the midnight deadline.
