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SCARS Open Letter: To Western Union

An Open Letter To Western Union

Dear Western Union

In a world filled with fraud and identity theft, you have to ask yourself what role you play in perpetuating and facilitating these crimes?

We understand that you are the World’s Money Sender – the largest by far, and you fill a vital role in helping private individuals in sending urgent money to friends and family.  Frankly, we are very happy you are here!  However, you are also the main conduit for the fraudsters in Ghana, Nigeria, and elsewhere, to extort or defraud their victims of their life savings, however small the payments may be.

We applaud you for your settlement and repayment program. Helping victims recover was a noble cause regardless of you reasons.

In addition, your improved disclaimer and certification questions, and advice against online scams and other fraud has been a major improvement. But the problem remains.

There has to be a way to help control this, that does not get in the way of legitimate transactions to real people, but maintains a log or database of known scammers!

We suggest the following:

1)  Provide a website page to report scams.  This should ONLY be usable for Western Union Senders with a valid MTCN number – this means you will have a verified identity of a potential victim to start with.  You record and show publicly all complaints against recipients OUTSIDE the United States and Canada, or Western Europe – privacy laws and liability would probably prevent displaying US, CDN, and EURO residents anyway.  Besides, the scammers are 99% outside these regions.

2)  Anytime someone attempts to send money to a recorded or registered agency where scammer frequent (as in having been previously reported), display a warning to the sending Agent and have them notify the customer that there is a report on file for that receiving agent.  Require that they do the transaction with your operators on the phone that can help verbally counsel the sender about the risk they are facing.  You could even refer them to either law enforcement or support groups in their region that help romance scam or other money fraud victims.

3)  Alter your terms and conditions with your overseas agencies and national companies to force reporting allegations of fraud to local authorities.  Right now, NO ONE is reporting these to the governments involved.  Your authority, under the threat of the loss of their agency standing, will force your partners to do this, and to provide you with proof of their actions in order to keep their agency status.  This goes a long way to enhance Western Union’s name as a defender of its sending customers.  Also require that in countries in West Africa such as Ghana, Nigerian, and other Very High Fraud localities, require your agencies to take digital photos of the receivers – these you can easily maintain for the benefit of U.S., Canadian, and European Law Enforcement, and connect them to your scammer database.  Frankly, why are you not taking photos of all receivers already?

4)  Offer a “For Fee” insurance service to senders against fraud.  I think anyone foolish enough to send money to Ghana or Nigeria, probably doesn’t mind paying 10% additional for fraud protection.

5)  Ban receivers with reports of fraud – do you really need their business, and that of their victims into those countries? 

6) Make it easier to report fraudulent transaction by family members or friends of victims.

Even if you do only 1, 2, and 3 above, you can dramatically change the landscape and reduce significantly the amount of fraud coming out of Western Africa.  You, Western Union, can become that beacon of light that you were over 100 years ago when you enabled communications around the U.S. and the World!

We have the highest respect for your corporation, and know what an outstanding corporate citizen you have been.  We simply ask that you recognize the harm that is coming through abuse of your system, and that you will more actively help to reduce it.

We hope that all who read this, will forward a copy to Western Union as well and add your voices to the call for reason in a world full of insane fraud.

Warmest Regards

Society of Citizens Against Romance Scams [SCARS]
A nonprofit nongovernmental organization
Miami Florida U.S.A.

Please Send This To Western Union

Here is a PDF file that you can attach to your email – Western Union Open Letter »

We request that you add your name so they will not think it simply spam.  You may send it to: westernunion.ir@westernunion.com 

Society of Citizens Against Romance Scams


RSN Team

a division of SCARS
Miami Florida U.S.A.

 

 


END


 

More Information From RomanceScamsNow.com


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Tell us about your experiences with Romance Scammers in our Scams Discussion Forum on Facebook »


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FAQ: How Do You Properly Report Scammers?

It is essential that law enforcement knows about scams & scammers, even though there is nothing (in most cases) that they can do.

Always report scams involving money lost or where you received money to:

  1. Local Police – ask them to take an “informational” police report – say you need it for your insurance
  2. Your National Police or FBI (www.IC3.gov)
  3. The Scars Worldwide Reporting Network HERE or on www.Anyscam.com

This helps your government understand the problem, and allows law enforcement to add scammers on watch lists worldwide.


– – –

Visit our NEW Main SCARS™ News & Information Facebook page for much more information about scams and online crime: www.facebook.com/SCARS.News.And.Information

 

To learn more about SCARS visit www.AgainstScams.org

Please be sure to report all scammers HERE or on www.Anyscam.com

All original content is Copyright © 1991 – 2018 SCARS All Rights Reserved Worldwide & Webwide – RSN/Romance Scams Now & SCARS/Society of Citizens Against Romance Scams are all trademarks of Society of Citizens Against Romance Scams Inc.

 

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Published On: November 8th, 2018Last Updated: September 5th, 2020Categories: AFRICAN SCAMS & SCAMMERSTags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment on SCARS Open Letter: To Western Union992 words5.1 min readTotal Views: 5351Daily Views: 1

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  1. SCARS Open Letter: To Western Union 2
    Janinelowe November 10, 2018 at 3:07 am - Reply

    I was scammed by the name of smith Gomez claimed to be a orthopaedic surgeon in Kabul asked em to send him phone then steam cards iTunes cards and money for application for leave which I sent £190 ($210 us ) via Weston union to an Eric Ramsey still have paperwork he managed to scam myself out of £300 or just over and is still requesting £50 steam cards even thou cut contact and ended romance as he asked me for more n more cards and more money for landing tax n travel costs for leave even sent me fake paperwork for applications with his friend jack Meier who was suppose to be a lieutenant in us army in Kabul he also treated to get me to send a laptop via Nigeria and cost me to get in debt for £137 and again £102 cell phone bill

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Important Information for New Scam Victims

If you are looking for local trauma counselors please visit counseling.AgainstScams.org or join SCARS for our counseling/therapy benefit: membership.AgainstScams.org

If you need to speak with someone now, you can dial 988 or find phone numbers for crisis hotlines all around the world here: www.opencounseling.com/suicide-hotlines

A Note About Labeling!

We often use the term ‘scam victim’ in our articles, but this is a convenience to help those searching for information in search engines like Google. It is just a convenience and has no deeper meaning. If you have come through such an experience, YOU are a Survivor! It was not your fault. You are not alone! Axios!

A Question of Trust

At the SCARS Institute, we invite you to do your own research on the topics we speak about and publish, Our team investigates the subject being discussed, especially when it comes to understanding the scam victims-survivors experience. You can do Google searches but in many cases, you will have to wade through scientific papers and studies. However, remember that biases and perspectives matter and influence the outcome. Regardless, we encourage you to explore these topics as thoroughly as you can for your own awareness.

Statement About Victim Blaming

Some of our articles discuss various aspects of victims. This is both about better understanding victims (the science of victimology) and their behaviors and psychology. This helps us to educate victims/survivors about why these crimes happened and to not blame themselves, better develop recovery programs, and to help victims avoid scams in the future. At times this may sound like blaming the victim, but it does not blame scam victims, we are simply explaining the hows and whys of the experience victims have.

These articles, about the Psychology of Scams or Victim Psychology – meaning that all humans have psychological or cognitive characteristics in common that can either be exploited or work against us – help us all to understand the unique challenges victims face before, during, and after scams, fraud, or cybercrimes. These sometimes talk about some of the vulnerabilities the scammers exploit. Victims rarely have control of them or are even aware of them, until something like a scam happens and then they can learn how their mind works and how to overcome these mechanisms.

Articles like these help victims and others understand these processes and how to help prevent them from being exploited again or to help them recover more easily by understanding their post-scam behaviors. Learn more about the Psychology of Scams at www.ScamPsychology.org

Psychology Disclaimer:

All articles about psychology and the human brain on this website are for information & education only

The information provided in this article is intended for educational and self-help purposes only and should not be construed as a substitute for professional therapy or counseling.

While any self-help techniques outlined herein may be beneficial for scam victims seeking to recover from their experience and move towards recovery, it is important to consult with a qualified mental health professional before initiating any course of action. Each individual’s experience and needs are unique, and what works for one person may not be suitable for another.

Additionally, any approach may not be appropriate for individuals with certain pre-existing mental health conditions or trauma histories. It is advisable to seek guidance from a licensed therapist or counselor who can provide personalized support, guidance, and treatment tailored to your specific needs.

If you are experiencing significant distress or emotional difficulties related to a scam or other traumatic event, please consult your doctor or mental health provider for appropriate care and support.

Also read our SCARS Institute Statement about Professional Care for Scam Victims – click here to go to our ScamsNOW.com website.

If you are in crisis, feeling desperate, or in despair please call 988 or your local crisis hotline.