Western Union Remission

Welcome to the United States v Western Union Remission Website

Western Union Remission Phase 2:

We mailed victim petitions with pre-populated loss amounts. Those forms can be returned online or in the mail to the Remission Administrator.  If you didn’t get a pre-filled petition, you may file a petition electronically at www.westernunionremissionphase2.com.

Update November 30, 2022. The Reconsideration Request Portal will be closing on December 31, 2022. Once the submission portal is closed Reconsideration Requests will no longer be accepted. If you would like to submit a Reconsideration Request please do so before December 31, 2022.

Update August 23, 2022. DOJ in conjunction with USPIS and the Remission Administrator continues to review Petitions for Remission and Reconsideration Request forms from potential victims of the Western Union fraud and anticipates authorizing compensation for the remaining eligible victims in the coming months.

Update May 18, 2022. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has begun its fourth distribution of approximately $6 million in funds forfeited to the U.S. Government from Western Union to approximately 800 victims located in the United States and abroad. These victims will be recovering the full amount of their approved losses.  

Update April 11, 2022. DOJ in conjunction with USPIS and the Remission Administrator continues to review Petitions for Remission and Reconsideration Request forms from potential victims of the Western Union fraud and anticipates authorizing compensation for the remaining eligible victims within the early second quarter of 2022.

Update December 1, 2021. DOJ in conjunction with USPIS and the Remission Administrator continues to review Petitions for Remission and Reconsideration Request forms from potential victims of the Western Union fraud and anticipates authorizing compensation for the remaining eligible victims within the first quarter of 2022.

Update June 30, 2021. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has begun its third distribution of approximately $66 million in funds forfeited to the U.S. Government from Western Union to approximately 6,000 victims located in the United States and abroad. These victims will be recovering the full amount of their approved losses.  You can read DOJ’s press release here.

DOJ, in conjunction with USPIS and the Remission Administrator, continues to review petitions for remission and reconsideration requests from potential victims of the Western Union fraud and anticipates authorizing compensation for the remaining eligible victims by the end of the year.

Important:  The DOJ, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the claims administrator will NOT request the payment of money by a petitioner to the administrator or anyone else in connection with the Western Union remission process. If you receive such a request, it is fraudulent and should be directed to [email protected].

Update February 5, 2021. DOJ in conjunction with USPIS and the Remission Administrator continues to review Petitions for Remission and Reconsideration Request forms from potential victims of the Western Union fraud and anticipates authorizing compensation for the remaining eligible victims prior to year end.

Update September 23, 2020. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has begun its second distribution of approximately $147 million in funds forfeited to the U.S. Government from the Western Union Company to approximately 33,000 victims located in the United States and abroad. These victims will be recovering the full amount of their approved losses.  You can read DOJ’s press release here.

DOJ continues to review petitions for remission from potential victims of the Western Union fraud and anticipates authorizing compensation for many more victims in the coming months.

Important:  The DOJ, Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the claims administrator will NOT request that petitioners pay any money to the administrator or anyone else in connection with the petition for remission process. If you receive such a request, it is fraudulent and should be directed to [email protected].

Update March 10, 2020. The Department of Justice has begun its first distribution of approximately $153 million in funds forfeited to the U.S. Government from the Western Union Company to over 109,000 victims located in the United States and abroad. These victims will be recovering the full amount of their losses.

This first round of payments is one of several expected to occur in the Western Union remission. The Justice Department continues to review petitions for remission from potential victims of the Western Union fraud and anticipates authorizing compensation for many more victims in the coming months.

You can read the Justice Department’s press release here: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/department-justice-begins-first-distribution-funds-recovered-through-asset-forfeiture

Important: Determinations of remission eligibility have not yet been issued. The DOJ, FTC, and the claims administrator will NOT request petitioners pay any money to the administrator or anyone else in connection with the petition for remission process. If you receive such a request, it is fraudulent and should be directed to [email protected].

Update September 30, 2019. The original submission deadline for Petitions for Remission was May 31, 2018. As of September 30, 2019, the online submission process for Petitions for Remission has closed. The acceptance of mailed Petitions for Remission postmarked after this date will be subject to the Justice Department’s discretion.

Update April 29, 2019. The deadline to respond to deficiency letters mailed on March 29, 2019 has been extended to June 30, 2019.

Update April 10, 2019.  Over 38,000 deficiency letters were mailed to petitioners in the United States on March 29, 2019.  One or more of the following deficiencies were identified on petitions filed by those who received a letter: 1) the petition was unsigned; 2) a taxpayer identification number, such as a social security number (SSN) was not provided; and/or 3) sufficient supporting proof or documentation for some or all of the claimed amount was not provided.  Responses to letters mailed on March 29, 2019 must be postmarked by April 29, 2019.  If you wish to submit your response via email, it can be submitted to : [email protected] .

The amount indicated in your letter that lists your proof of loss is your current eligible loss amount.  

If you need a copy of your receipt from Western Union, according to the Western Union website, you can request a receipt by emailing the company:

1. Go to the Western Union Email Help Center.

2. Choose Copy of Money Transfer Receipt from the list.
3. Complete the form and click “Submit.”

Update September 10, 2018. Over 180,000 petitions have been received in the Western Union remission process.  The claims administrator is currently reviewing and evaluating all submissions to determine eligibility.  If your petition is deficient, the administrator may contact you by mail to explain the deficiency and seek additional information.  After the petition review is complete, recommendations will be provided to the Department of Justice for final decisions.  Due to the large volume of petitions submitted, it is anticipated the petition review process will continue into 2019.  Payments cannot be issued until all petitions are reviewed.

Click here for interactive maps that show the number of remission submissions by state or by country. Please hover your mouse over a state or country to view the count of remissions submitted. Please note that these numbers only reflect a count of remissions and do not indicate eligibility.  After the Department of Justice issues decisions, additional maps will be provided that indicate approval amounts by state and country.

Update June 1, 2018.  The deadline to submit Petitions for Remission was Thursday, May 31, 2018. Gilardi will continue to accept Petitions, but late filings will be subject to review at a later date and at the sole discretion of the Department of Justice.  However, if you receive a petition from Gilardi in the future, please check the deadline on the petition you receive as it may have been extended.

UPDATE: The remission process for the Western Union case has now started. Over 500,000 petitions have been mailed to identified victims and include instructions on how to file a petition. The petition can be filed electronically using the Claim ID and Pin included on the letter, or mailed to the address listed on the petition. 

An example of the Remission Form and envelope mailed is available here.

On January 19, 2017, The Western Union Company (Western Union), a global money services business headquartered in Englewood, Colorado, agreed to forfeit $586 million and entered into agreements with the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission.  In its agreement with the Justice Department, Western Union admitted that it violated U.S. laws—The Bank Secrecy Act and anti-fraud statutes—by processing hundreds of thousands of transactions for Western Union agents and others involved in an international consumer fraud scheme. As part of the scheme, fraudsters contacted victims and falsely posed as family members in need or promised prizes or job opportunities. The fraudsters directed the victims to send money through Western Union to help their relative or claim their prize. The Department of Justice hired Gilardi & Co., LLC to serve as the remission administrator in this matter.

If you believe you were a victim of the fraud described above and you made a wire transfer through Western Union between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017, you may be eligible for remission.

In order to be considered for a remission payment, you will be required to submit a Remission Form along with any available supporting documentation. Your petition must be postmarked on or before May 31, 2018, and mailed to:

United States v. The Western Union Company
P.O. Box 8060
San Rafael, CA 94912-8060