You are our partner. While Western Union works hard to help prevent fraud, we believe that fraud prevention is everyone’s responsibility. Your best defense is to be aware, educate yourself and use good judgment with our informative tips. Don’t fall victim to fraud – learn to spot the warning signs of a fraudster or scam before it’s too late.
Click here if you need to report fraud to Western Union.
Relationship Scam
Fraudsters contact their victims online and gain their trust by establishing false links. After gaining the victim’s trust, scammers ask for money for travel expenses, fees or other emergency expenses. If you are looking for a partner online, be on the lookout for clues that could give away the other person, as they may not be who they say they are. Remember, you should never send money to someone you have never met in person – always make sure by verifying identity documents.
Advance payment scam
Criminals can pose as genuine businesses and trick their victims into paying fees before receiving something of greater value, such as a loan, credit card, grant, investment or inheritance amount. The victim sends money to the scammer via a money transfer service, but then receives nothing in return. What was promised never existed, whether it was loans, credit cards, grants, investments or inheritances. And once the scammers get their hands on your money, they disappear.
Internet shopping scam
Scammers use websites or online classified ads to promote non-existent items, such as mobile phones, event tickets and cars. Be careful when sending money in response to an online advertisement.
Protect yourself from fraud
Think you’ve been scammed?
Report it. You can help us and, in the process, help others from getting scammed in the future.
Call our Fraud Hotline at
900 901 375
File a fraud claim
Report to authorities
Forward the suspicious email to spoof@westernunion.com –do not cut and paste the contents, because valuable tracking information about the source will be lost.
Find out moreThe victim responds to a job offer and receives the fictitious position, whereupon a fake cheque is sent to him to cover expenses related to his position. The amount in the cheque exceeds the victim’s expenses, so the victim returns the excess money by bank transfer. The cheque bounces, due to insufficient funds, and the victim has to bear the full amount defrauded.
Related to:
Mystery shopping scam, Counterfeit cheque scam
Article:
The victim is asked to pay an amount of money in advance, in order to facilitate financial services that are never delivered. Victims often enter into a series of transactions for the advance payment of various fees. Common methods include: credit cards, grants, loans, inheritances or investments.
Related to:
Tax scam, Phone sale, Immigration scam, Charity scam, Social media scam, Fake cheque scam, Grandparent scam
Articles:
4 ways to protect yourself against advanced prepayment and fee scams, Information on student scams
The victim sends money to buy an item online (e.g. pets, cars). These items are often offered on Craigslist, eBay, Alibaba, etc. After sending the money, the victim never receives the purchased goods.
Related to:
Overpayment scam, Rental property scam, Counterfeit cheque scam
Articles:
This scam is a variation of the emergency scam.
One person contacts the victim, pretending to be a distressed grandchild or an authority such as a medical professional, a member of law enforcement or a lawyer.
The fraudster describes an urgent or emergency situation (bail bonds, medical expenses, emergency travel expenses) in which the grandchild requests a bank transfer to be sent immediately.
The reality is that no such emergency exists and the victim who sends the money to help his grandchild loses it.
Related to:
Advance fee or prepayment scam, Emergency scam
Article:
The victim is told that he/she has won a lottery, prize or sweepstakes, and that the money is to be sent to cover the amount of fees or taxes on the winnings. The victim receives a cheque as part of the prize and, once the cheque is deposited and the money sent, the cheque is rejected due to insufficient funds.
Related to:
Advance fee or prepayment scam, Counterfeit cheque scam, Fake cheque scam
Articles:
7 tips to avoid lottery scams, Scratchcard prize scams, How to avoid falling victim to sweepstakes scams
The victim is led to believe that they have a personal relationship with someone they have met online, often through social media, on an internet forum or on a dating website. The victim is usually emotionally involved and often refers to the recipient as their fiancé.
Related to:
Social Media Scam, Armed Forces, Emergency Scam, Extortion
Articles:
This scam is a variation on the Emergency scam.
The victim is contacted by an individual pretending to be a grandchild in distress, or a person of authority such as a medical professional, law enforcement officer, or attorney.
The fraudster describes an urgent situation or emergency (bail, medical expenses, emergency travel funds) involving the grandchild that requires a money transfer to be sent immediately.
No emergency has occurred, and the victim who sent money to help their grandchild has lost their money.
Associated with:
Advanced Fee / Prepayment scam, Emergency scam
Test your fraud knowledge now
Smart people fall for scams every day. Test your knowledge of money transfer fraud and learn how to protect yourself.
Test your fraud knowledge now
Smart people fall for scams every day. Test your knowledge of money transfer fraud and learn how to protect yourself.
Learn more about the tricks fraudsters use to lure in victims.
For more information on identifying fraud, read on here.
Unexpected gifts, via social media or websites, that are wonderful and seem “too good” to be true.
Companies, users or individuals who contact you unexpectedly for a “sale” or because of a “problem” that needs to be solved.
Lack of data verification: when searching for the person who has contacted us, especially companies, we do not find any data on the person or physical institution on the web.
Solicitation of advanced or unexpected payments.
Request for the insertion of personal data such as the insertion of a PIN, any kind of password or personal data.
Request for a transfer of money to new bank accounts on suspicion of fraud.
Receipt of emails or SMS with suspicious links.
Western Union is helping to protect consumers from falling victim to money transfer scams through education and awareness.
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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.
Stand Guard—spot the warning signs of a scam before it’s too late, with tips, brochures, and other useful information.
Be resourceful, get educated and stop fraud
Keep informed and stay protected. The more information you have, the better you can shield yourself against criminals. Report fraud, stay updated on the latest scams, and learn how to detect con artists with these additional resources.
