Western Union paying back to victims?

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Hello I'm New here! Joined: 28 Dec 2013 Posts: 15

I just stumbled across the following news:

http://www.abc15.com/news/let-joe-know/western-union-paying-back-586-million-to-scam-victims-in-wire-scam-settlement

or

http://www.kerngoldenempire.com/news/local-news/western-union-reaches-settlement-for-scams-encourages-victims-to-come-forward/691140530

Does this mean that there will soon be a huge boost of recovery scam?
Maybe baiters should be prepared. Opinions?

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 11:50 am

I could see this as potentially being fodder for lads to use against their victims to increase scamming activity.

Baiting Guru Joined: 31 Jan 2007 Posts: 12237

^

article wrote:

Once DOJ has all of the money - later this year - they’ll open up the process for people to make claims. They call it a “Petition for Remission” process.

I bet we will see this term in lad scripts soon. And... like any other U.S. Federal program or project, it will be a Mongolian cluster fornication in and of itself without the lads help.

Milton Friedman wrote:

Nothing is so permanent as a temporary government program.

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 12:18 pm

As so many victims of various scams are likely to have paid out via Western Union, I suspect many "generic" recovery scam formats will start to incorporate this element. To be honest I'm surprised I haven't seen the sum of $586M and link to news pieces mentioned in recovery formats already -- even though claim process hasn't started yet.

Plus, fake WU claim sites may start popping up (both phishing and recovery fraud types).

Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 12:57 pm

Could also see this program being abused by smarter, more connected lads.

Lad 1 wires 1k+ to Lad 2. Lad 1 files under program for lost money. When money is refunded, Lad 1 and 2 split the 1k+, then reverse positions and pull the same scam again.

Easy way for an Oga to double his money.

Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 3:20 am

^^^

Bang. Head. Here.

Hope they aren't smart enough to think of thaat but if they are I would love to snag one as a pet.

Edit. Warners' job just got harder, too. Can no longer tell vics that there is no way to recover their money.

Elite Baiter Joined: 28 Mar 2015 Posts: 1916

This has the downside of reinforcing an idea some lads already have that scamming is a victimless crime.

Posted: Fri Apr 28, 2017 11:09 am

CrimsonSapien wrote:

Lad 1 wires 1k+ to Lad 2. Lad 1 files under program for lost money. When money is refunded, Lad 1 and 2 split the 1k+, then reverse positions and pull the same scam again.

You won't see that from this settlement.

Quote:

If you sent money via Western Union between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017, and lost it to a scammer, you might be eligible for a refund.

Posted: Mon May 01, 2017 2:39 pm

Thanks bware419ers. I decided to look a little further into this because it would seem odd that DOJ and the FCC would come after them for that specific time span, its not like the Lads will stop trying to use WU services, therefore we could expect unfortunately more victims paying through WU past the settlement date. Below is what I found..

Quote:

Western Union has agreed to forfeit $586 million to the government, settled consumer fraud charges by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and has entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice (DOJ), in which it admits to criminally aiding and abetting wire fraud and violations of the Bank Secrecy Act. As part of the scheme, fraudsters contacted victims in the U.S. and falsely posed as family members in need or promised prizes or job opportunities. The fraudsters directed the victims to send money through Western Union to help their relative or claim their prize. Various Western Union agents were complicit in these fraud schemes, often processing the fraud payments for the fraudsters in return for a cut of the fraud proceeds.

The scams, which generally targeted the elderly and other vulnerable persons, were committed by falsely promising victims they would receive large cash prizes, falsely offering various high-ticket items for sale over the Internet at deeply discounted prices, falsely promising employment opportunities as "secret shoppers," and placing distressed phone calls falsely posing as the victim's relative and claiming to be in trouble and in urgent need of money. In each case, the perpetrators required the victims to send them advance money through Western Union's money transfer system in order to receive a promised product or service. The victims never received what they were promised.

In the coming months, the DOJ will file four separate civil forfeiture complaints in various districts. The $586 million will not be property of the government until these cases conclude. The remission process will begin after completion of the forfeitures.

Quote:

What kind of scams are covered by these refunds?
A wide variety of scams may be covered by this settlement, including:

-Online or Internet scams – you did not receive the items you tried to buy online
-Lottery or prize promotion scams – you were told you won a lottery or sweepstakes, but never got the prize
-Emergency or grandparent scams – you sent money to someone pretending to be a relative or friend in urgent need of money
-Advance-fee loan scams –you paid upfront fees, but did not get the promised loans;
-Online dating or romance scams – you sent money to someone who created a fake profile on a dating or social networking website.

If you sent a money transfer through Western Union and you believe you were the victim of one of these scams, you may be eligible for a return of at least some of your money.

http://www.westernunionremission.com/frequently-asked-questions.aspx

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