ENGLEWOOD, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 16, 2011-- Criminals wear many different masks to make you believe they’re people you know or can trust. Sometimes they pretend to be family members or friends who have run into trouble and are now asking you to send them money immediately through a money transfer service. Although accidents can happen, these emergency scams are increasingly common and Western Union (NYSE: WU), a leader in global payment services, cautions against sending money to people who claim to be family members and friends for emergencies without first confirming that the person is actually in trouble.

"As part of an effort to raise consumer awareness about various types
of fraud, Western Union is distributing this poster at locations around
the United States and Canada. For more information about how to
protect yourself from fraud go to westernunion.com/stopfraud."
(Photo: Business Wire)

“Emergency scams are especially cruel crimes because they play off of our emotions and our strong desire to help others in need,” said Joseph Cachey III, acting general counsel & chief compliance officer of Western Union. “These scams are effective because scammers hit their victims with such a forceful emotional punch and create such a strong sense of urgency that they become difficult to resist. People need to set their emotions aside and take a few minutes to confirm the facts of the situation and not send the money.”

There are several types of emergency scams, but two of the most common are the Grandparent Scam and the Social Networking Scam, which operate as follows:

Grandparent Scam

Grandparents across the country are falling victim to a surprisingly effective scam in which they receive phone calls from people who claim to be their grandchildren and frantically ask for money.

The telephone calls often come late at night with the callers saying they’re in an emergency situation, such as a car accident or that they have been arrested. The scammers – posing as grandchildren – usually beg their victims not to call their ‘parents’ or tell others about the predicament and often ask them to send money through a money transfer service as quickly as possible. In some cases, the scammer may hand the phone to an accomplice who pretends to be an attorney, police officer or some other authority figure in order to give the scam more credibility and create a greater sense of urgency.

Social Networking Scam

Another version of an emergency scam involves hacking into social networking sites such as Facebook and then targeting friends in the victim’s account.

For example, a scammer will gain access to “Susan’s” Facebook account and send a message to all of Susan’s friends saying that she has been mugged, injured or arrested in a foreign country and is in urgent need of cash. By gaining access to information and contacts on Susan’s Facebook page, the scammer is able to supply enough personal detail to make the request look legitimate. The scammer also creates a strong sense of urgency because he doesn’t want the victims – Susan’s friends – to confirm the story or fully think it through. Believing the message is from Susan, her friends may send money through a money transfer service like Western Union and only later find out that the message was not sent by Susan and is a scam.

People who get calls or messages requesting emergency funds from a family member or friend can protect themselves by taking the following actions:

• Take time to think through the situation and consider whether or not it makes sense.
• Tell the caller you’ll call them back at a known or published number, not the number they give to you.
• Confirm the facts. For example, if a friend or family members claims to be in a foreign country, confirm through common friends or family members that they are travelling.
• Ignore the caller’s plea to not tell other family members and call another family member or friend and ask if they are aware of the situation.

Western Union provides a trusted and reliable way for people to send money to family members and friends. However, it is important to remember that a money transfer can be paid out to the receiver within a short time – even minutes – and after the money is paid, consumers cannot obtain a refund from Western Union even if the transfer was the result of fraud.

If you sent a Western Union Money Transfer® and believe you may be a victim of fraud, call the Western Union Fraud Hotline number at 1-800-448-1492. Information on fraud scams is available on the Consumer Protection section of Western Union web site at: http://www.westernunion.com/stopfraud. Additional information on money transfer scams is available from the Federal Trade Commission at: www.ftc.gov > Consumer Protection > Money Matters > Scam Watch > Money Wiring Scams.

About Western Union

The Western Union Company (NYSE: WU) is a leader in global payment services. Together with its Vigo, Orlandi Valuta, Pago Facil and Western Union Business Solutions branded payment services, Western Union provides consumers and businesses with fast, reliable and convenient ways to send and receive money around the world, to send payments and to purchase money orders. The Western Union, Vigo and Orlandi Valuta branded services are offered through a combined network of 485,000 agent locations in 200 countries and territories. In 2010, The Western Union Company completed 214 million consumer-to-consumer transactions worldwide, moving $76 billion of principal between consumers, and 405 million business payments. For more information, visit www.westernunion.com.

WU-F, WU-G

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50075084&lang=en

Source: Western Union

Western Union
Stephen Gawlik, 720-332-3812
stephen.gawlik@westernunion.com