If you sent money through Western Union to a scammer between January 1, 2004, and January 19, 2017, you can file a Petition for Remission with the Department of Justice to recover what you wired. The Western Union settlement grew out of a $586 million forfeiture the company agreed to after admitting anti-money laundering and consumer fraud violations.1United States Department of Justice. Western Union Admits Anti-Money Laundering and Consumer Fraud Violations, Forfeits $586 Million in Settlement with Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission Through two rounds of payments, the fund has returned more than $420 million to over 175,000 victims, and most of them have received the full amount they lost.2United States Department of Justice. Justice Department Begins Second Distribution of Forfeited Funds to Compensate Victims of Fraud
Who Qualifies
You qualify if you wired money through Western Union to someone who turned out to be a scammer, the transfer was sent between January 1, 2004, and January 19, 2017, and you haven’t already filed a claim.3Federal Trade Commission. Western Union Refunds The loss has to come from a consumer scam, not a business dispute or a transfer you simply regret. Common scenarios the program covers:
- Online purchase scams where you paid for goods or services that never arrived.
- Lottery or prize scams where you were told you’d won but had to pay fees or taxes first.
- Emergency or grandparent scams where someone posing as a relative asked for urgent money.
- Advance-fee loan scams where you paid upfront for a loan that never materialized.
- Romance scams where a person on a dating site talked you into sending money.
Your refund covers only the amount you actually wired. Western Union’s own fees, travel costs, and other incidental expenses are not recoverable.4Western Union Remission Phase 2. Frequently Asked Questions
Can You Still File
The formal Phase Two filing deadline was August 31, 2022.5United States Department of Justice. Justice Department Announces Phase Two of Compensation Process for Western Union Fraud Victims The FTC’s refund page, however, continues to say that eligible victims who have not already filed “still have time to make a request to get your money back.”3Federal Trade Commission. Western Union Refunds If you missed the deadline, contact the claims administrator directly to ask whether a late petition will be accepted. The administrator is Gilardi & Co. LLC, at (855) 786-1048 or info@WesternUnionRemissionPhase2.com.6Western Union Remission Phase 2. Contact Us
What You Need to File
The filing document is called a Petition for Remission. Before you start, pull together:
- Your full name, current mailing address, phone number, and Social Security Number or ITIN.
- Transaction details: the date of each transfer, the amount sent, and the recipient’s name or location. The DOJ cross-checks this against Western Union’s records.
- Supporting documents: wire receipts, the Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN), or bank and credit card statements showing the payments.
If a pre-filled claim form arrived in the mail, it includes a Claim ID and PIN that let you sign into the online portal with your losses already populated. Check those amounts against your own records before submitting.
Finding a Lost MTCN
If your receipt is gone, you can look up the MTCN through Western Union’s website or app for transfers you sent online. For in-person transfers at an agent location, call Western Union’s customer care line and ask them to pull the transaction.7Western Union. What Is a MTCN? You don’t have to have the MTCN to file, but it lets the DOJ match your claim to a specific record right away.
How to Submit the Petition
The quickest route is the online portal at WesternUnionRemissionPhase2.com. You enter your personal and transaction information, upload scans of any receipts or bank statements, and submit. Save the confirmation receipt the site generates. If you’d rather send paper, mail the completed Petition for Remission to:
US v. The Western Union Company
P.O. Box 301172
Los Angeles, CA 90030-11726Western Union Remission Phase 2. Contact Us
Filing is free. You do not need a lawyer, and no legitimate party will charge you a fee to submit a petition.8Federal Trade Commission. New Alert for Western Union Refunds
Filing on Behalf of Someone Else
If the victim has died or can’t file on their own, a legal representative can submit the petition. You’ll need paperwork proving your authority: a power of attorney, letters of administration from a probate court, or similar documentation. Federal forfeiture regulations require written authorization from any representative filing on behalf of a victim; a verbal claim of representation is not accepted.9Forfeiture.gov. Regulations Governing the Remission or Mitigation of Administrative, Civil, and Criminal Forfeitures If an attorney files for the victim, the petition must include a signed statement from the victim or the estate’s personal representative confirming the attorney’s authority and the truth of the information.
After You File
The DOJ reviews each petition by matching the transaction details to Western Union’s internal records, and the review takes time. The FTC has told claimants to expect up to a year before hearing back, and some petitions have taken longer.8Federal Trade Commission. New Alert for Western Union Refunds You can check your petition’s status through the administrator’s website or by calling (855) 786-1048 with your Claim ID.
Approved claims are paid by check mailed to the address on the petition. In both rounds of distribution so far, victims have been paid the full amount of their documented losses.10United States Department of Justice. Western Union Remission Fund Distributes Approximately $40M to Victims in the United States and Abroad Keep in mind that this is remission from a finite fund, not guaranteed reimbursement. If the remaining balance runs low relative to approved claims, future payments could be prorated.
Lost or Expired Checks
If your check never arrived or expired before you could deposit it, contact the administrator at (855) 786-1048 or info@WesternUnionRemissionPhase2.com and ask for a reissue. Confirm that your mailing address is current, since checks are sent to the address listed on your petition.6Western Union Remission Phase 2. Contact Us
If Your Petition Is Denied
A denial notice will say why your petition was rejected. Federal forfeiture regulations let you request reconsideration, but the window is short: your request must be postmarked or received within 10 days of the denial.9Forfeiture.gov. Regulations Governing the Remission or Mitigation of Administrative, Civil, and Criminal Forfeitures A reconsideration request has to rest on new information not in the original petition, or clearly show that the denial was made in error. A different official reviews the reconsideration, and you get only one chance at it. Don’t wait. Ten days goes fast, especially by mail.
Scams Targeting Claimants
People searching for this settlement are exactly who scammers look for: you’ve already been defrauded once, and now you’re looking for money back. The FTC has flagged fake emails that mimic official correspondence and ask for personal details or transaction history. The real claims process does not work through email solicitations, and you cannot file a claim by replying to one.11Federal Trade Commission. Western Union Refunds Scam Alert
A few rules that will keep you safe. No legitimate administrator or government agency will ask you to pay a fee to file. Nobody connected to the program will call asking for your bank account number, credit card information, or a payment to “unlock” your refund. Anyone who offers to speed up the process for a fee is running a scam.8Federal Trade Commission. New Alert for Western Union Refunds File yourself through the official site or by mail. It costs nothing.
Is the Payment Taxable
A remission payment returns money that was stolen from you. It doesn’t put you ahead of where you were before the fraud. For most recipients that means the payment is not taxable income, because it restores your prior financial position rather than creating a gain. The exception is if you previously claimed the fraud loss as a theft deduction on your tax return; the IRS treats the recovery as income to the extent the deduction reduced your tax in the earlier year.12Internal Revenue Service. Publication 547 – Casualties, Disasters, and Thefts
If your payment is $600 or more and the administrator considers any part of it taxable, you may receive a Form 1099-MISC reporting it.13Internal Revenue Service. Instructions for Forms 1099-MISC and 1099-NEC Whether tax is owed depends on your situation. If you never deducted the loss, you likely owe nothing on the recovery. If you’re not sure, a tax professional can look at your prior returns and tell you quickly.