$153 Million Awarded To Scam Victims. Are You One?

This is one scam story that I have personal knowledge of.  It happened to a neighbor. It was one of the scams on the elderly.  You might be familiar with an elderly person gets a random phone call and it's a teenager or young adult voice on the other end.  They start with "grandpa is that you"?  Grandpa says yes and asks if the voice is his grandson.  Long story short, the kid says he's in trouble and needs money but don't tell mom and dad.  Grandpa goes to Western Union and wires the money.

Well, according to wlns.com, Western Union is partially on the hook for these scams and has been ordered to pay back.  109,000 people who sent money to scammers through Western Union wire transfers will be receiving refund checks worth about $153 million.  Western Union reached a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice which includes creating an anti-fraud program.  Western Union also admitted to criminal violations in its settlement with the Department of Justice.  Beginning today, refunds will go to people who properly returned a pre-filled claim form, once it is verified by the refund administrator. Other people who filed claims will get refunds later this year.  The refund checks will come from “United States v. The Western Union Company.” If you’re in the US, you have to cash or deposit the check within 90 days.