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Mainers Eligible For Money In Western Union Wire Scam Settlement

Mainers who were deceived into sending payments to scammers using a Western Union wire transfer between Jan. 1, 2004, and Jan. 19, 2017, may now seek compensation.

Maine and 49 other states have settled with Western Union, which has come up with $586 million for a victims’ compensation fund that will be administered by the U.S. Department of Justice.

“Western Union had been participating in these scams by not asking the right questions, by not filtering these transactions appropriately. We have come to an agreement with Western Union that they are changing their behavior. They’re going to implement anti-fraud processes in all of their offices across the country,” says Maine Attorney General Janet Mills.

Mills says Mainers who reported to her office that they had been scammed using Western Union will receive a claim form in the mail in the coming weeks. She says those who believe they are eligible but don’t receive a form should visit westernunionremission.com. The deadline for filing a petition is Feb. 12, 2018.

Ed is a Maine native who spent his early childhood in Livermore Falls before moving to Farmington. He graduated from Mount Blue High School in 1970 before going to the University of Maine at Orono where he received his BA in speech in 1974 with a broadcast concentration. It was during that time that he first became involved with public broadcasting. He served as an intern for what was then called MPBN TV and also did volunteer work for MPBN Radio.