Western Union... something needs to be done.

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 14 Apr 2009 Posts: 5

Does anybody know if the government is doing anything about western union? I would think especially post 9-11 that their "money moving" business would be under heavy scrutiny.

I personally think they need to red flag any funds going to hot spots like the uk and nigeria and that maybe in doing so people may have a chance to recover their money if they figure out during the red flag hold time that they've been had.

My sister was taken for over $500 via some guy off craigslist... wired $500+ to the UK and when I called western union they admitted that over 50% of transactions could be linked to fraud but nothing is being done. They got very upset when I asked them if they still consider it just "moving money" when they're doing so for terrorists... that didn't make this csr very happy.

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 3123

I'm sorry about your sister, but flagging every UK-Nigeria transaction is just plain stupid.

What has 9-11 got to do with it?

Master Baiter Joined: 30 Dec 2008 Posts: 156

Because terrorists can move money via WU without being traced?

I agree here. But WU isn't going to do anything because they just want their damn fees.

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 3123

That was not what happened on 9-11 though Confused

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 14 Apr 2009 Posts: 5

WU should be sanctioned and make people who use their service create an account w\ 2 forms of ID, and some sort of deposit. I just find it very difficult to see how WU is allowed to profit from scams like this and then deny any wrong doing.

WU may have been around for over 100 years but it's 2009 and they need to be moderated.

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 7:07 pm

But 9-11 is the start of global terrorism-paranoia.. Come on.. I just want to take my bottle of water into the plane, but noooooo... ain't gonna happen, I might just take over the plane with it or use it to make a bomb...

That's about what 9-11 has got to do with it... and 9-11 would've needed to be funded somehow, wouldn't it?

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 3123

2 forms of ID? Hell, you need that much to open a bank account. If WU was moderated, they would still find a way. They always find a way.

MOP - I would love to let you bring your bottle on my plane. I would kill you if you breached the cockpit though.

9/11 is a vastly complex event, and oh yes, it had to be funded somehow. Who says it was WU?

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 7:12 pm

Woah! Hot-spots like the UK? Have you ever *been* to the UK? Do you imagine we're all sitting around in mud huts scamming Americans? We're one of the least corrupt countries in the world, we invented the phrase "It's just not cricket" to suggest unfait play, and there are a hell of a lot of British baiters, too.

You see, that's the problem with making sweeping generalisations about a country with just a little knowledge. A WU transfer can be sent from anyone to anyone, and picked up *anywhere*. Those transfers 'to' the UK are much more likely picked up anywhere *but* the UK. Some scammers suggest people wire cash to themselves (in the US or anywhere) then they just pick up that payment and run for the hills.

You're right, WU has a massive credibility problem, at the moment it seems to be set up to be as insecure as they can get away with (hence just needing the MTCN to collect a payment). But making allegations like yours doesn't help, WU clearly have no interest in stopping the massive amounts of fraud they collaborate in as they take their fees and plead the innocent third party. All we can do is get the word out there and hope we catch people more effectively than the scammers.

Hello I'm New here! Joined: 14 Apr 2009 Posts: 5

sorry, i'm being misunderstood and acting like a typical american does on an international forum.. sorry Smile

My only reference to 9-11 is that I think the US government should be closely watching incoming and outgoing funds. Job creation? Why not hire an army of spambaiters and people to moderate WU and other transactions?

The 9-11 hijackers probably had cash on them when they entered the country... but I'm just saying... WU enables all sorts of people to just " move money " and the fact that they seem to be doing nothing about the well known fraud means that they're knowingly profiting from crimes others are committing.

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 7:16 pm

I understand WU does warn people about scams, but few seem to listen. While internet scams would probably be initially hampered if WU became more strict, unfortunately, so would many legitimate transactions. I know people who regularly send money from the US to their family in a less developed country. Getting ID or a bank account would be difficult and expensive for them. In their case, WU performs a valuable service.

If Western Union were to disappear tomorrow, I have no doubt scammers would still find ways to move money from their victims. They would probably ask people to overnight cash, and then we would be complaining about how lax FedEx is.

Edit to add: I'm sorry about your sister, lots of people fall for those scams. Interesting to note that Craig's list has tons of warnings about wiring money and dealing locally. People often criticize them for not doing more to prevent scams.

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 8:20 pm

And since WU operates in just about every country on earth, who is going to be the policing authority?

Baiting Guru Joined: 19 Apr 2007 Posts: 3123

Interpol.

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 9:33 pm

Have you seen my piggies ? Laughing

If low life scammers can get access to bank accounts so easily, then organised terrorists will find it a breeze.

Western Union is a legitimate service misused by criminals, but they'll abuse anything or anyone they can latch onto.

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 9:34 pm

All of the same would be applied to any real-mail postal service.

The US Postal Service doesn't know what is in the envelopes that go through it.

Posted: Tue Apr 14, 2009 9:46 pm

^^ Exactly.

Cheque lads send their cheques off by national mail carriers. Does this mean they should be sanctioned too?
They are as much of a player as WU is.

The fact is that WU does a very important job. Many people have folks in other countries who send money home to support them. Red-flagging funds to third world nations (and the UK as the OP so laughingly suggests) would hurt many, many innocent people.

That's not to say WU shouldn't tighten up. There are probably many of it's employees in places like Nigeria who know exactly what is going on when a lad walks in to pick up a payment. The problem there though is the national culture of corruption - not WU itself.

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