More Western Union Settlement Payouts Available as DOJ Reopens Petition Process for Fraud Victims

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More payments are available to consumers as part of Western Union’s nearly decade-old $568 million pact with the United States Department of Justice over allegations that the global money services provider violated the Bank Secrecy Act, failed to implement an effective anti-money laundering program, and aided and abetted wire fraud.

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Due to the continued availability of funds forfeited by Western Union as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with the Department of Justice, the government has reopened the petition process to allow fraud victims to receive reimbursement.

Phase 3 of the Western Union-DOJ settlement covers those who sent a money transfer through Western Union between January 1, 2004 and March 9, 2020 and were victims of fraud. Previously, Phases 1 and 2 of the payout process were limited to consumers who fell victim to a fraudulent Western Union transfer between January 1, 2004 and January 19, 2017.

The court-approved website for Phase 3 of the Western Union settlement can be found at WesternUnionRemissionPhase3.com.

Settlement class members who submit a timely, valid petition for remission can receive a cash payment for complete or partial reimbursement of money lost via a fraudulent wire transaction through Western Union.

Consumers who already filed a petition for remission during Phase 1 or Phase 2 may only file a petition for newly discovered or additional transactions that occurred between January 1, 2004 and March 9, 2020 and were not previously submitted.

Additionally, class members whose petitions during Phase 1 or 2 were denied because they claimed transactions outside of the original period, but now fall within the extended period, do not need to resubmit a petition to receive reimbursement. Per the settlement website, the DOJ sent new letters and checks to these individuals as of May 21, 2026.

The website states that many of the victims of fraudulent wire transactions were sent petitions with pre-populated loss amounts.

To submit a petition for Western Union remission online, consumers can head to this page and enter their claim ID and PIN. Individuals who believe they are victims of wire fraud and did not already receive a pre-filled petition, or do not remember their claim ID and PIN, may similarly opt to submit a petition online by selecting the appropriate option.

Alternatively, class members can download a PDF petition for remission to print, fill out, and return by mail to the settlement administrator.

All petitions for remission must be submitted online or postmarked by August 19, 2026.

The settlement site notes that consumers may not submit a petition via email. Submissions via email will be invalid and ineligible for a remission payment.

The Western Union lawsuit claimed that the money transfer service failed to implement appropriate controls over its money transfer system and agents, allowing scammers and grifters to victimize consumers throughout the U.S.

The filing alleged that certain Western Union agents turned a blind eye to, or even received kickbacks from, fraudulent transactions.

Per court documents, fraudulent schemes that were allegedly aided and abetted by Western Union included grandparent schemes, whereby a fraudster will pose as a relative in need of emergency funds; lottery sweepstakes scams, where fraudsters claim an individual needs to pay taxes or fees to claim a prize; romance scams; and other grifts. 

The settlement website states that, to date, the Justice Department has remitted more than $430 million in funds forfeited to the government by Western Union to more than 178,000 victims, “all of whom received full compensation for their losses.”

Western Union has acknowledged responsibility for its “criminal conduct,” the settlement website states. The $568,000,000 Western Union settlement was entered on January 19, 2017.

Are you owed unclaimed settlement money? Check out our class action rebates page full of open class action settlements.