Fraud Awareness

Report fraud

If you’ve been victimized by scammers, be proactive—report your case to Western Union, law enforcement and other authorities, like SCAMwatch, among others. These are important steps to help prevent fraud and protect others from falling victim to scams.

Western Union commits significant resources—funding, people and technology—to fight fraud and help protect consumers from being victimized.

We care about people who use our services—they work hard for their money, which is why we fight fraud and help to educate them about various types of consumer fraud and how to protect themselves. By working together with the media and consumer advocacy groups to educate consumers, we can help prevent unsuspecting individuals from becoming victims of consumer fraud.

Stay Informed

Western Union is helping to protect consumers from falling victim to money transfer scams through education and awareness.

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It’s always troubling to us at Western Union when we hear of people who have lost money to some kind of scam artist. It’s especially troubling to find that a criminal has used a legitimate service as a way to defraud consumers.

Call our Fraud Hotline

If you used our money transfer service and believe the transaction was fraudulent, call us immediately. Tell us what happened. We want to help—and the only way we can is if you contact us. It’s easy–our toll free number in Australia is 1800 023 324.

If the transfer has not been paid, then we can stop the transaction and refund your money.

Online Fraud Claim Form

If your transaction has been paid and you wish to let Western Union know about your situation, you can file a claim with our fraud department at 1800 023 324 or by using our online fraud claim form to file a fraud report. The reports that we receive allow us to better track scams and help others from falling victim in the future.

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Report to Authorities

Reporting fraud can lead to more awareness and better education. We encourage you to contact your local law enforcement authorities if you believe you were a victim of fraud. You also can contact other consumer protection resources.

Reporting fraud is critical: It helps us educate other consumers and can give authorities information about the latest frauds in the marketplace. We work frequently with police organizations around the world but it’s important to note that our role is not law enforcement and there are inherent dangers in trying to catch criminals, to both our Agents and customers. Because of this, and the fact that receivers can pick up funds anytime, from a broad number of locations, we cooperate with law enforcement agencies to help in the investigation and prosecution of people who take advantage of our services to commit fraud.

Additional Resources

Q&A

Knowledge can protect you. You work hard for your money and you want a company you can rely on when it comes to sending your money to friends and family. That’s why we want to help you protect yourself from fraud.

What should I do if I think I’ve been scammed?

Call our fraud hotline at 1800 023 324 immediately. If you’ve sent funds but they haven’t yet been paid out to the receiver, you may be able to stop the transaction.

What happens when I file a fraud claim?

After you file a claim with our fraud department at 1800 023 324 or using our online fraud claim form contact your local law enforcement agency. Western Union works directly with law enforcement at their request. We work frequently with police organizations around the world but it’s important to note that our role is not law enforcement and there are inherent dangers in trying to catch criminals, to both our Agents and customers. Because of this, and the fact that receivers can pick up funds anytime, from a broad number of locations, we cooperate with law enforcement agencies to help in the investigation and prosecution of people who take advantage of our services to commit fraud.

Will Western Union refund my money?

If you’ve transferred money and the money hasn’t yet been picked up, call our fraud hotline at 1800 023 324 to stop the transaction.
If the funds haven’t been picked up by the receiver, you’ll get a full refund, including the transaction fee.
If your money has been picked up by the receiver and you suspect you are a victim of fraud, we encourage you to file an official fraud claim with Western Union and to report your situation to law enforcement.

All reported cases to Western Union will be reviewed to determine if a refund will be permitted. We work very hard to identify fraudulent transactions and keep them from going through our systems, but scammers are savvy, and their tactics change constantly. The best way to stop fraud is to learn how to identify fraudsters and scams.

What is Western Union doing to prevent fraud?

We’re committed to keeping our customers from losing their hard-earned money to scam artists. That’s why we’ve implemented dozens of ways to stop that from happening, including:

  • Automated fraud warning
  • Fraud prevention information provided to our retail Agent locations
  • Fraud prevention tips and resources at www.wu.com/fraudawareness and on Facebook and Twitter
  • Appearances and speaking opportunities at fraud prevention industry events, including senior expos, where we share information and tips to help people detect and protect themselves from scams
What should I do with a spam email referring to Western Union?

Please forward the original email to spoof@westernunion.com. Please note that this won’t file a claim; if you believe you’re a victim of fraud, call our fraud hotline and report the crime, then file a claim with your local law enforcement agency.

Also, we encourage you to share information about scams and phishing emails with your friends and family. Word-of-mouth is a powerful way to spread the word about common scams. If you’re receiving unsolicited phishing emails, others probably are too.

What are the most common scams?

Scams can take many forms, and criminals are constantly changing their tactics to stay one step ahead. Learn more about types of fraud.