Western Union Remission Fund Distributes $40 Million to Victims in the Caribbean and the United States, DOJ Announces
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) has started distributing around $40 million from the Western Union Remission Fund to 25,000 victims of fraudulent schemes in various locations. This is the first distribution of the second phase of the fund, with more distributions anticipated in the future. Western Union had previously entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the DOJ in 2017, acknowledging its role in criminal conduct and agreeing to forfeit $586 million to compensate victims. The fraud schemes targeted consumers, including seniors, with scams such as the grandparent scam, lottery scams, and romance scams.