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.