Attorney General Pam Bondi today announced that Floridians deceived into sending payments to scammers using Western Union’s wire transfer service may now apply for compensation from a $586 million national settlement fund. This fund is related to a multistate settlement reached by Attorney General Pam Bondi, 49 other states and the District of Columbia with Western Union in January this year.
Consumers who fell victim to a fraud-induced transfer using Western Union between Jan. 1, 2004 and Jan. 19, 2017, may be eligible to receive compensation. More than 500,000 potential victims nationwide have been identified.
Eligible Floridians who reported falling victim to a scam that involved a money transfer through Western Union will receive a claim form in the mail from the settlement administrator in the next two weeks. The form will contain instructions explaining how consumers may file claims to receive compensation. The Department of Justice’s Victim Asset Recovery Program is administering the fund through a third-party claims administrator.
If a consumer does not receive a claim form in the mail, but believes they are eligible for a claim, the consumer should visit WesternUnionRemission.com or call 1-844-319-2124 for more information. All completed claims forms must be mailed back to the settlement administrator by Feb. 12, 2018.
To view the assurance of voluntary compliance, click here. For more information about the multistate settlement, click here.