Latest Update On Western Union Repayment Program – June 2021

They Are Re-Opening Their Program To New Applicants Worldwide – Wednesday, June 30, 2021

A SCARSSCARS SCARS - Society of Citizens Against Relationship Scams Inc. A government registered crime victims' assistance & crime prevention nonprofit organization based in Miami, Florida, U.S.A. SCARS supports the victims of scams worldwide and through its partners in more than 60 countries around the world. Incorporated in 2015, its team has 30 years of continuous experience educating and supporting scam victims. Visit www.AgainstScams.org to learn more about SCARS. Money Recovery Update

“We are pleased that thus far over $350 million has been returned to approximately 150,000 victims, many who are among the most vulnerable: the elderly.” Said the U.S. Department of Justice

Department of Justice Begins Third Distribution of Forfeited Funds to Compensate Victims of FraudFraud In law, fraud is intentional deception to secure unfair or unlawful gain (money or other assets), or to deprive a victim of a legal right. Fraud can violate civil law (e.g., a fraud victim may sue the fraud perpetrator to avoid the fraud or recover monetary compensation) or criminal law (e.g., a fraud perpetrator may be prosecuted and imprisoned by governmental authorities), or it may cause no loss of money, property, or legal right but still be an element of another civil or criminal wrong. The purpose of fraud may be monetary gain or other benefits, for example by obtaining a passport, travel document, or driver's license, or mortgage fraud, where the perpetrator may attempt to qualify for a mortgage by way of false statements. A fraud can also be a hoax, which is a distinct concept that involves deliberate deception without the intention of gain or of materially damaging or depriving a victim. Scheme Facilitated by Western Union

Distribution of Funds Brings Compensation Total to More than $365 Million

They are re-opening their program to New Applicants this year!

The Department of Justice announced today that the Western Union Remission Fund began its third distribution of approximately $66 million in funds forfeited to the United States from the Western Union Company (Western Union) to approximately 6,000 victims located in the United States and abroad.

According to the DoJ: “These victims, many of whom were elderly victims of consumer fraud, will be recovering the full amount of their losses.”

Overview:

• The Fund was open to anyone from any country that sent money to scammers prior to 2017 via Western Union
• The program closed in 2018, but the DoJ says they will accept NEW applicationsApplications Applications or Apps An application (software), commonly referred to as an ‘app’ is a program on a computer, tablet, mobile phone or device. Apps are designed for specific tasks, including checking the weather, accessing the internet, looking at photos, playing media, mobile banking, etc. Many apps can access the internet if needed and can be downloaded (used) either for a price or for free. Apps are a major point of vulnerability on all devices. Some are designed to be malicious, such as logging keystrokes or activity, and others can even transport malware. Always be careful about any app you are thinking about installing. this year!
• Many victims have already received their refunds under the program
• Per what we have heard directly from victims, most victims received less than 5% of their losses, and many much smaller – but something is better than nothing

According to SCARS’ Director Debby Montgomery Johnson:

“it is vitally important to make sure that you complete the application process carefully since it can impact the amount of money you receive. However, to be able to receive even some of your money is a great victory for scamScam A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime -  is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost. victims! We are grateful to the women and men of the U.S. Government for taking on this giant task and seeing it through to fulfillment!

This Is The Third In A Series Of Distributions.

The Department of Justice claims that the first two distributions paid more than $300 million to over 142,000 victims, all of whom received full compensation for their losses.

The Department of Justice anticipates authorizing compensation for more victims in the coming months. Petitions are accepted on an ongoing basis and potential victims who have not applied for compensation will be provided the opportunity to apply this year.

“This third distribution of funds from the Western Union forfeiture demonstrates the Department of Justice’s continued commitment to compensate and serve justice to victims, many of whom suffered immense losses from this fraud scheme,” said Deputy Assistant Attorney General Kevin O. Driscoll of the Justice Department’s CriminalCriminal A criminal is any person who through a decision or act engages in a crime. This can be complicated, as many people break laws unknowingly, however, in our context, it is a person who makes a decision to engage in unlawful acts or to place themselves with others who do this. A criminal always has the ability to decide not to break the law, or if they initially engage in crime to stop doing it, but instead continues. Division. “Divesting criminals of ill-gotten gains and returning those funds to victims are the primary goals of the Asset Forfeiture Program, which has provided over $10 billion in forfeited funds to victims over the last two decades.”

“Since 2001, our office, in conjunction with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, has been at the forefront of investigating and prosecuting cross-border frauds where global money services companies such as Western Union facilitate fraud by transferring millions of dollars overseas into the pockets of international fraudsters,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Bruce D. Brandler for the Middle District of Pennsylvania. “The historic 2017 deferred prosecution agreement with Western Union, and the payments to thousands of victims to compensate them for their losses, demonstrates our commitment to hold all responsible parties accountable and to make all victims whole. I want to thank all the prosecutors and agents who continue to work tirelessly on behalf of the victims.”

“Today’s $66 million distribution continues our commitment to ensuring justice for the thousands of victims who were financially harmed by multiple fraud schemes in this investigation,” said Postal Inspector in Charge Damon Wood of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service’s Philadelphia Division. “We are pleased that thus far over $350 million has been returned to approximately 150,000 victims, many who are among the most vulnerable: the elderly.  The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is dedicated to protect Americans and to ensure that all remedies are explored in delivering justice.”

Western Union Action

In 2017, Western Union entered into a deferred prosecution agreement (DPA) with the United States.

Pursuant to the DPA, Western Union had criminal information filed against it where it 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 an international consumer fraud scheme. Western Union simultaneously resolved a parallel civil investigation with the Federal Trade Commission.

According to court documents, in the scheme, fraudsters targeted consumers, including seniors, through multiple scamsScams A Scam is a confidence trick - a crime -  is an attempt to defraud a person or group after first gaining their trust through deception. Scams or confidence tricks exploit victims using their credulity, naïveté, compassion, vanity, irresponsibility, or greed and exploiting that. Researchers have defined confidence tricks as "a distinctive species of fraudulent conduct ... intending to further voluntary exchanges that are not mutually beneficial", as they "benefit con operators ('con men' - criminals) at the expense of their victims (the 'marks')". A scam is a crime even if no money was lost..

Three specific scams directed towards seniors included the so-called grandparent scamGrandparent Scam Grandparent/Family Emergency Scam - Scammers sometimes prey on grandparents by claiming their family members are in jail or in trouble and need money quickly. They use stolen personal information such as family member names and hometowns to seem more convincing., where the fraudsterFraudster A Scammer or Fraudster is someone that engages in deception to obtain money or achieve another objective. They are criminals that attempt to deceive a victim into sending more or performing some other activity that benefits the scammer. would pose as the victim’s relative in purported need of immediate money to avoid personal harm; lottery or sweepstakes scamsSweepstakes Scams These scams involve someone claiming you won a prize. However, they say you must pay a fee or provide sensitive banking information in order to get it. They keep the money, and you get nothing for it., where the fraudster would tell the victim that he or she had won a large cash prize but had to pay fees, such as taxes, to claim the prize; and 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.

Certain owners, operators or employees of Western Union locations were complicit in the scheme.

Western Union aided and abetted the scheme by failing to suspend or terminate complicit agents and by allowing them to continue to process fraud-induced monetary transactions. Western Union fulfilled its obligations under the DPA, and the court granted the motion to dismiss the criminal information against Western Union last year.

NOTE: As early as 2012, the predecessor to SCARS had identified the fact that scammers had taken over Western Union agencies in Africa, that allowed them to receive money without it even being received by real people!

The Department of Justice, through the Asset Forfeiture Program, works diligently to restore lost funds to victims of crime and acknowledges the significant assistance of the U.S. Postal Inspection Service Philadelphia Division’s Harrisburg, Pennsylvania Office. The victim compensation payments, in this case, would not have been possible without the extraordinary efforts of the Criminal Division’s Money LaunderingMoney laundering Money laundering is the illegal process of concealing the origins of money obtained illegally by passing it through a complex sequence of banking transfers or commercial transactions. Money laundering can be done through various mediums, leveraging a variety of payment vehicles, people and institutions. and Asset Recovery Section, and the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, the Central District of California, the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and the Southern District of Florida (where SCARS is located.) The FBIFBI FBI - Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, the FBI is also a member of the U.S. Intelligence Community and reports to both the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence. A leading U.S. counter-terrorism, counterintelligence, and criminal investigative organization, the FBI has jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crimes, including financial fraud.’s Los Angeles Field Office, IRSIRS The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue & tax service of the United States federal government responsible for collecting taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code (the main body of federal statutory tax law.) It is part of the Department of the Treasury and led by the Commissioner of Internal Revenue, who is appointed to a five-year term by the President of the United States. The duties of the IRS include providing tax assistance to taxpayers; pursuing and resolving instances of erroneous or fraudulent tax filings; and overseeing various benefits programs. Visit www.IRS.gov to learn more.-Criminal Investigation, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Reserve Board, the Consumer Financial Protection BureauCFPB The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is a United States government agency. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is a 21st century agency that helps consumer finance markets work by making rules more effective, by consistently and fairly enforcing those rules, and by empowering consumers to take more control over their economic lives. CFPB LINK Office of Inspector General, and the Department of the Treasury Office of Inspector General provided valuable assistance.

More information about the Western Union compensation process is available on the Western Union remission website at www.westernunionremission.com. Further questions may be directed to the Western Union Remission Administrator by phone at 844-319-2124 or by email at info@WesternUnionRemission.com.

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